Survival's Barriers
by SkyFallenHearts
Summary: Sora was left to die. Now at fifteen, he has learned to survive on his own. However when he becomes prey than predator, life on this island isn't any easier. But its time for Sora to show how strong he is. Kairi never knew the outside world from her own, she was caring but her world flipped upside down when she and her brother found themselves on a mysterious island. SoraXKairi. AU
1. The Newly Hunted and Hopelessly Lost

**Hi, this is my first fanfiction. I'm a huge fan of Kingdom Hearts (who here isn't?). Anyways I hope you enjoy reading!**

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Sora gazed up at the stars above, admiring the atmosphere around him. He was laid out on the forest floor with his hands behind his head. His hair was a light chestnut color and stuck out in every direction. It's been a year since he was abandoned on this small island by his parents and he slowly adapted and had no choice but to live on that sad little piece of rock. He didn't remember much of his past other than the faces of his parents and brother as they threw him to the sand and sailed away on a small boat.

It wasn't that bad at first, but it gradually got harder for Sora; his lean tan body was worn out and shaken to the core. His beautiful blue eyes had that subtle tiredness in them from working all day and night just trying to survive.

But this night was different, Sora was happy for the first time in a while, his jeans and simple black shirt had small holes in them and a swatch of blood on the chest from when he had fallen from a tree as he was gathering fruit. He wore dirty old skater shoes on his feet which provided little protection.

He closed his eyes and felt a gentle breeze on his face as he let out a sigh of relief. He gently layed there for what seemed like forever and sat up suddenly when he heard a large _thud_! Off to his right. He scrambled to his feet and got out a simple knife he carried in his pocket that he kept with him at all times; it was one of the few things he salvaged from the items he was left with when his parents cruelly left him to die on the beach.

He stood there, with the knife pointing on the direction where he heard the noise. There was a long pause and just as Sora was about to relax a strong force shoved him from behind and next thing he knew he was lying face first on the ground. Sora coughed out some dirt and flailed out wildly at his attacker. But there wasn't much he could do, there was a heavy weight on his back, pinning him to the ground.

"Well well…" the voice of his attacker wrung out against his ears, "I knew they were wrong, they thought if we just left you, you'd simply die of natural causes... But I knew better." Sora knew this voice, it was vaguely familiar but every time he thought back about it his thoughts got cloudy and he shook his head as much as he could to clear it. "Who… who are you..?" Sora coughed out.

"You barely remember me do you? Aw… I know it's a struggle, but I'll give you a little hint, I was there when you were thrown away like a piece of trash you are on this island." The voice said. Sora knew who it was... Ri… Ri… Riku! Sora struggled wildly against him but only succeeded in driving Riku's knee deeper into his back. "Oh you do remember me now? Good good brother, I came to finish off what our parents tried to accomplish… Getting rid of you!"

Sora saw the flash of a silver blade and deep pain exploded in his shoulder; he wailed in agony and once again struggled harder against his brother. "Why are you doing this Riku?!" Sora yelled.

Riku ran his fingers through Sora's thick chestnut colored hair. "Because you weren't meant to live Sora, I've never seen such an excuse for a boy in my life," Riku sneered as he took out the blade from Sora's shoulder and made a shallow cut on the side of his arm, "No one wants you here, but don't worry, I won't kill you now. No, no, it will be slow and I'll come back as you keep on struggling to survive, just to make it harder for you." Sora could feel Riku grinning behind him, "I will take everything you hold close and have you begging on your knees for me to kill you," Riku sneered.

Sora's blood was pouring onto the forest floor and he was shaking in pain. He held the knife tightly in his right hand and swung out behind him and felt the blade connect with flesh. Immediately the weight lifted off his back and he got to his feet with his shoulder screaming in pain and spun around and faced Riku. Sora managed to make a cut on the side of Riku's face and he was holding his face and glaring at Sora with pure hatred. Riku's long silver hair layed behind his back and his black jeans and dark long sleeved shirt were spotted with Sora's blood.

"You think your cleaver," Riku growled, "But I'll be back, make no mistake of that." And with that he jumped backwards and disappeared in the forest.

Sora stumbled, holding his shoulder with his hand and desperately tried to get back to his little hut he had made on the island. He slowly made it to his hut and layed down inside and gently wrapped his shoulder with some pieces of ripped clothes he had. It wasn't much but he couldn't do anymore. He gazed off to the side and saw a little storm out in the distance but wasn't bothered much so he closed his cerulean eyes and fell asleep.

….

Kairi's soft cranberry colored hair danced in the wind as she was on a boating trip with her parents and brother, Roxas. She rested her arm on the rail and looked out on the sea with her big twilight colored eyes. She was wearing a simple pink tank top and a white skirt and tennis shoes. It was dark out but that didn't bother her at all.

Kairi could hear footsteps behind her and turned around to find Roxas behind her. "Hey Roxas." She said, looking at him. Roxas was sixteen, just a year older then her, but he looked older. He was nice blonde hair that was spiked up to the side as if the wind has styled it, his blue eyes looked at her questioningly, "What are you doing out here so late?" he asked as another gust of wind came and shook the boat.

She sighed and turned back to the sea, sometimes her brother just didn't understand her. "I'm watching the stars," she said simply.

"The stars around going anywhere," Roxas replied and took his sisters arm, "Come on let's go inside and try to sleep, it looks like a storm is coming."

Kairi saw the flash of worry in Roxas's eyes and slowly nodded her head, "Alright alright," she said and let herself be lead away as another stronger gust shook the boat rapidly. Just as the view of the outside was blocked by an endless wall she saw a small island off in the distance but thought nothing of it.

Roxas and Kairi went to their rooms with their parents just across the hall. Kairi took off her clothing and put on her pajama's and crawled into bed. A huge wave crashed against the side of the boat and she felt it rock suddenly and could hear the rain outside. She wasn't afraid though, but she hoped nothing bad would happen.

But nothing's ever that easy.

Kairi was woken by her brothers screaming and instantly jumped out of bed as an enormous wave shook the boat. She heard strong thunder and lightning outside, she quickly changed into some clothes she had thrown on the floor the night before, and dashed out of her room. Roxas was waiting for her outside her room and took her hand and ran outside on the deck.

There definitely was a storm and it was rocking the boat, water was sloshing over the side, dousing her shoes. "Kairi stay next to me." Roxas warned, and she could hear how terrified he was. Kairi heard a loud crack and whipped around to see the front cracking in half. She screamed and heard her parents at the back of the boat, yelling out their names but she didn't have time to rush to the other side because just then the wood broke from under her.

She clutched to Roxas tightly and just had enough time to catch another glimpse of that small island she saw earlier, and then her world went black.


	2. Their New Home

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Sora woke to a bright morning that he knew only comes after a storm. He felt the damp ground which only confirmed it had at least rained hard last night. He slowly got up, careful to not put too much weight on his injured shoulder and padded out towards the beach.

When he got there he almost stopped breathing, he saw two teenagers passed on his beach. One was a beautiful girl with cranberry colored hair and the other looked slightly older with light blonde spikey hair. Sora stared at them for a while, unsure of what to do, but walked quietly over, because he didn't want them to wake up and see him, and looked at them both. They didn't seem injured but he gently layed them out next to each other and reached in his pocket and took out two mango's he managed to obtain. He set them down next to both the passed out teens. He saw the girl move slightly and dashed away silently back into the safety of the forest, though he wasn't exactly sure if it was safe anymore with his brother hidden somewhere looking to take him out. Sora shuddered at the thought and layed his hand over his injured shoulder. He didn't know what to do, but for now he just had to keep surviving.

Kairi woke up on a beach, neatly layed out next to her brother. She blinked her twilight eyes open only to find her brother already awake and sitting next to her. "Oh my god, you're awake." Roxas gasped and smiled at his sister.

"Where are we?" Kairi asked and looked around. That's when she spotted two mango's sitting next to her on the sand, "And how did these get here? I didn't know you could actually have some survival skills, Roxas," Kairi teased.

Roxas shook his head, "We are on some small island from what I can see," he narrowed his eyes at the mango's, "I didn't find those either, they were here when I woke up."

Kairi stared at the mangos as if they had fallen out of the sky. "Well they don't look bad or anything," she said and picked one up, "and I'm hungry."

"Wait maybe we shouldn't—" Roxas said but Kairi took a big bite of the mango, ignoring her brother and smiled at him. "Its fine Roxas," she said and handed him the other one. "I just want to know how they got here," she whispered. Kairi sort of remembered cracking her eyes open for a second and seeing a boy set down something and run away, maybe it was these mango's he left for them. "I think someone left them here for us."

Roxas looked at her weirdly, "I'm pretty sure no one lives here, Kairi, did you hit your head on a rock or something?"

Kairi pushed him lightly, "I'm not kidding, I faintly remember someone… a boy… coming by us.." she said and looked up to see Roxas looking at her like she was an idiot. "I'm not kidding! Explain how they got here then, and I'm pretty sure we didn't land on the beach perfectly next to each other, that doesn't happen." Kairi said.

Roxas sighed and shook his head, his blonde hair flying around his face. "I don't know Kairi… but we won't get any answers by staying here," he said and he took another big bite of the mango. "Let's go look around." Roxas got up and held out his hand for his sister.

Kairi took it and got to her feet and they both headed into the forest together, she made a mental note that if it really was a boy that left these things for them, then she should find him to thank him.

**I hope you guys like it so far! I have Chapter 3 ready to go but tell me what you think of this story so far!**

**I also want to bring some attention to the person who inspired me to start writing Fan Fiction. ParadiseAvenger is a wonderful writer and I highly recommend you check out their stories.**

**Behind The Walls is definitely my favorite (Warning: Rated M). Thanks!**


	3. His Truth, Her Care

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Sora sat down on a nearby log with a groan and held his shoulder tightly, it wasn't healing right, but he didn't have anything to treat it with. The blood had long since stopped and the cut on his arm left a scar. Sora still couldn't forget the teenagers he saw on the beach earlier, siblings, he was sure they were siblings. Sora thought he could at least go back and check if they were okay, so he stood up and started heading back towards the beach once again.

It wasn't long before Sora heard something ahead of him, he panicked, thinking it was Riku to come and drive that knife deep in his flesh again. So he climbed up the nearest tree as fast as he could with his shoulder. His clothing got caught on one of the sharp branches and as he was working furiously to free it, the branch broke off and reopened the gash on his shoulder. He bit his tongue from screaming in agony and heaved himself up on the next strongest branch. He layed out with his chest facing the ground and watched. His blood was dripping on to the floor but he couldn't do anything to stop it before he saw the two siblings emerged from the foliage.

Sora held his breath. "What are we even looking for?" the blonde boy said.

"I want to find that boy I saw on the beach, I know he's the one who left those mango's out for us." The girl with the cranberry hair replied.

Sora caught his breath. She had seen him! Sora stared down at the siblings and at his blood dripping down to the forest floor, it wouldn't be long before—

"Hey what's that?" the blonde boy said and put his hand under the blood that was dripping down from his wounded shoulder. The boy brought it up to his nose and smelled it. "It's blood." He said as he turned to the girl. The girl looked up immediately and saw Sora sitting on the tree branch.

Sora didn't have time to jump away and he doubted he would make it very far without making a huge commotion. The girl gasped and pointed up at Sora. "Roxas look!"

The blonde haired boy, who must have been Roxas, also gazed up at Sora. Sora quickly jumped to the ground, despite his injury's and ran off. He could hear the siblings behind him yelling, "Hey, wait!" But Sora didn't stop, it's been too long before he's been in the presence of someone, and the encounter with Riku was still shocking. _I'll take everything you hold close._ Riku's words chilled Sora to the bone and he wasn't even sure if these people were here to hurt him the same way Riku had or not, that thought only drove him to run faster.

"Wait! Stop!" Both the siblings were calling behind him.

Sora was blindly running and his foot got caught on a root poking out of the ground, he flailed wildly and waited for the impact of the ground to meet him, but a warm hand closed around his wrist and prevented him from getting a face full of mud. The hand didn't let go and Sora started freaking out, shaking his wrist and shouting, "No! Don't hurt me! Please!"

"We won't hurt you," he heard the girl say. Slowly Sora turned around and faced the two of them, but he wasn't ready to let his guard down yet. "Wh-what do you want?" Sora stuttered, shaking.

The girl with the dark red hair was gripping his wrist and looked at him, "I didn't mean to scare you, but are you the one that layed out that food for my brother and me?" Her voice was gentle, it sounded like the only thing she was afraid of right now is that Sora would run away from her.

"Yes…" Sora whispered and glanced at his wrist locked in her hand and then up at the blonde haired boy, whom the girl had called Roxas earlier. Roxas was looking at Sora as if we were the rarest animal in a zoo. "What's your name?" Roxas said.

Sora's eye's darted back and forth between the two, "Sora..." he whispered.

Kairi held the boy's wrist tightly, she didn't want him to run away. His beautiful blue eyes looked like a cornered animals and there were a few scars on his lean, tan body. He was handsome, she admitted to herself. His hair was spiked in every direction but not a trace of gel was there. "I'm Kairi," she said, "It's nice to meet you Sora." She was quickly drawn to the nasty gash on his left shoulder, still dripping blood down his shirt and onto the scattered leaves on the ground.

Sora could feel her eyes on his shoulder and quickly shook his hand free from her grip and covered it up. "You… too…" he muttered, "I'm glad you two are alright." He said and turned away.

"Wait don't go!" Kairi said, but Sora already disappeared into the forest. Kairi sighed and looked at Roxas. "He's hurt Roxas, we have to help him." She insisted.

Roxas shook his head, "We need to worry about ourselves, not some broken boy who looks like he's afraid of his own shadow."

Kairi glared at him, "He was just scared that's all," she defended. "Besides what else are we going to do? That boy, Sora, obviously knows a lot about this island, enough to find food."

"How about we try looking for our parents?" Roxas retorted. "Do you remember them, huh?" Kairi faltered and looked at the ground. "You know we aren't going to find them…" she whispered. "How can you say that?" Roxas said and she could hear the slight anger in his voice, "Of course we'll find them!"

Kairi shook her head, "They would have found us by now and you know that," she sighed, "I'm going to go help that boy, with or without you." With that, she ran off in the direction that she saw Sora go. Kairi wasn't sure Roxas would follow her, but for now she didn't care.

….

Sora dove behind a large boulder and glanced around wildly. They know who he is, how can he be so stupid? If they meet Riku they know where he went and they could easily give Sora's location away. Sora leaned his back against the rock and held his knees up to his chest and breathed in deeply, holding back the tears starting to form in his eyes.

After a long while he removed his head from the safety of his arms and carefully unwrapped the small amount of torn clothing covering the wound. It would have been better had that branch not scraped it open again. He winced and rolled up the bandage and stuffed it in his pocket. He couldn't light a fire, for fear that Riku would see the smoke and come after him. It was dusk out and Sora could see the nice calming sunset through the trees. Sora closed his eyes and for a long moment, sat there enjoying the warmth the sun brought on his unmarked face. Almost suddenly he heard foosteps and Sora smacked his head back against the tree when he saw that girl, Kairi, come out of the forest at him. Sora's vision swam for a minute, "Ow…" he muttered, rubbing the back of his head and re-focused his vision on the red headed girl. She was really pretty, slender and thin, her hair at shoulder length and nice twilight colored eyes.

"Please don't run away." She said and took a couple steps closer to Sora. She could see that wild look in his eyes starting to form again after his eyes got into focus. Kairi wanted to help this handsome boy, she figured he was about fifteen, her age. She took a small step forward and sat down so that she wasn't too close to Sora, to try to show him that she wasn't trying to hurt him.

"I-I'm sorry I don't have any more food left." Sora said shakily, still holding his knees tightly to his chest.

Kairi gave him a sad look, why couldn't he trust her? "I won't hurt you Sora, and I don't want anything else from you." Sora seemed to relax just a little bit but his shoulders were still tense. Although that could be because of his wounded shoulder.

"Where's your brother?" Sora whispered, his chestnut bangs hiding his deep blue eyes.

"I'm not sure," Kairi confessed, "I ran off after you as soon as you disappeared, I don't know if he came after me or not but," she turned around and ran her eyes over the trees and bushes behind her before she sighed and turned back to the boy, "I doubt he will." There was a moment of silence before her eyes rested on Sora's injured shoulder and her curiosity got the best of her, "How did that happen?" she asked.

Sora held his hand over his shoulder, "It was just an accident." Sora couldn't tell this girl the truth, he still wasn't sure if she would use it against him or not.

Kairi stood up and walked closer to Sora and sat down about an arm's length away from him. She saw Sora begin to panic so she quickly said, "Please it's okay, I just want to look at it." Kairi reached out and laid her hand on his injured shoulder. His skin was soft and warm but he was shaking as if he had the chills. She looked closer at the wound and ran her fingers over it lightly. Sora winced beneath her touch but didn't say anything. Kairi's eyes filled with worry as she looked up at Sora's face. "This looks like it was done by a knife." Sora looked away from her face, "It's nothing," he muttered.

"It's not nothing," Kairi told him. She reached into a small pocket in her skirt and pulled out a bottle of vanilla scented hand sanitizer. She wasn't a clean freak but she loved the smell a lot and it's the only thing she had. "Hold still," Kairi said.

Sora glanced at her as she put some of the sanitizer on her finger and dabbed it on the deep gash. Immediately it stung, bad. He clenched his teeth and let out a small sound of pain and she applied more. "Sorry but it's the only thing that I have to clean it," Kairi said.

She sat back and put the hand sanitizer away, she had cleaned all the dirt and bacteria from his wound but had nothing to wrap it with. "Can you please tell me how it really happened?"

Sora shivered, he now knew that she hadn't believed him when he said it was an accident. Now what was he supposed to do? He took a deep breath, "My brother," he whispered. Sora could see Kairi's eyes widen, "Your brother did this to you?" she asked. Sora could only nod as Kairi stared at him in disbelief.

"Why would he do that?" she asked, still staring at his face. Sora gazed down at the ground, avoiding her eyes and just let the truth spill out. "He wants to get rid of me… Something my parents tried to do a long time ago. It's a big reason why I'm on this island." He could feel Kairi's eyes studying his face. "My parents didn't want me, I don't remember completely but I do know they threw me on this island on purpose. They left me to die." He choked the last sentence out as if it were the hardest thing he'd ever say. A tear rolled down his gorgeous face.

Kairi only sat there and took in what he said. She couldn't say anything so she just wrapped both her arms around Sora's waist and hugged him. Sora tensed and tried to get away for a moment before he gave up and let his head fall down on her shoulder. It's been so long since he had someone touch him. Kairi held him for a long time, enjoying his gentle touch, and briefly wondering where her brother was.

….

Roxas watched as Kairi took off after the boy. He wanted to go after her but found himself walking the other direction, towards the beach. "She never listens to me," he muttered to himself, "If she comes back hurt it'll be all Sora's fault." Roxas shook his head, he still would not allow himself to chase after her. Instead he took a few footsteps on the white sand and looked up to see it was almost completely dark out. Sora looked like he was afraid of everything and didn't trust him to protect his sister. Yet it was too dark out to go looking so he decided he would look for Kairi in the morning.

Roxas's blonde hair flowed in the breeze as he sat down, listening to the waves crashing against the shore. He was so caught up in the beautiful view that he didn't even notice the dark figure with silver hair walking up behind him.

XXX

**Whew, long chapter, but I love it anyways. I'm glad you guys like it so far! I'm trying not to let the story get away from me. I'll try to post a chapter everyday and maybe two chapters a day on weekends. My homework isn't that bad but I can't predict what my teachers will throw at me in the future. Anyways thanks guys! Let me know what you think!**


	4. A Deal with the Devil

**Yay! It's finally the weekend!**

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Sora lay against Kairi with his arms resting at his sides as she held him close. A cold breeze blew through the island and Sora shivered, slowly lifting his eyes to the sky and seeing it was night out. Sora squinted at the stars glistened brightly above, and he knew his eyes must be playing tricks on him but he saw the flash of Riku's emerald eyes up in those stars.

_I will take everything you hold close._

Riku's words raced through his head, he immediately pulled away from Kairi and scrambled backwards. He couldn't let himself get close to her, she'd be hurt and if that happened, Sora would never be able to forgive himself. Shocked, Kairi looked at him closely, "What's wrong?"

Sora looked away but didn't answer her question, instead he said, "If you need a place to spend the night you can sleep in the cabin I made," Sora offered quietly. Kairi didn't ask him anymore questions but shivered and nodded great fully. Sora got up and started walking towards his cabin with saying another word.

Twice he glanced back to see if the red haired girl was still behind him but didn't speak. Sora was lost in his own thoughts. He hadn't seen Riku in a couple days, and the longer Riku stayed away, the more Sora got worried. He didn't know when Riku was coming back to hurt him and his shoulder still hurt, even though Kairi had cleaned it off. He truly believed Kairi wanted to help him but he couldn't give her his full trust yet. He liked the way she had held him and wished he had hugged her back. Her touch was warm and soft and her cranberry tresses smelled like passion fruit. Still, he didn't want Kairi getting hurt by Riku, but he was sure that wouldn't happen as long as he didn't allow the pretty red head close to his heart.

Kairi followed Sora to his cabin, they came into a fairly large clearing and in the center was a nice cabin made of logs and huge leaves covering the roof. Sora stepped inside and she followed, looking around. There was a small mess of torn clothing and bits of food in the corner. Along the wall was a thin mattress made of packed mud and soft white sand over the top, there was also a thin piece of cloth which she assumed was the blanket. "It's nice, you built this yourself?" Kairi asked as she looked as him, he was thin but had nice tan muscles.

Sora only nodded, "You can sleep here," he said patting the bed along the walls. Kairi watched as he went into the corner and made a short pile or his tattered clothing, kicked off his worn out skater shoes, and laid down on the hard floor with his head resting on the small pile of clothing and his back to her.

Kairi stared at Sora's back from across the room and realized that this was who he was. He was the kind of person who thought of others before himself, he gave her his bed and instead slept on the cold wooden floor without a single protest. He wanted her to be comfortable. Kairi would feel bad if she rejected his kindness so she only sighed and laid herself out on the bed. It was fairly comfortable and she pulled the thin sheet over her body. For a while she just laid there, wondering how the hell she had gotten herself into this situation. Just a few days ago she was on a beautiful boat with her brother on a relaxing vacation and now here she was on this godforsaken island. The only good thing that came out of this mess was that she got the chance to meet Sora.

Kairi fell asleep to the sound of Sora's gentle breathing and the sight of the wonderful stars above her.

….

Roxas sat on the beach with his legs out in front of him and his hands behind his back, resting on the soft sand. He was thinking about how stupid Kairi was to have gone off after that boy. But the more he thought about it, the more his anger was directed at Sora. They didn't need his help in the first place, and if it wasn't for him, Kairi would still be with Roxas and together they'd figure a way out. His anger grew more until he was interrupted by a boy that walked up sat down next to him. "Nice night huh?" the voice said. Roxas whipped his head to the side, and looked the person up and down. He was maybe a year older then Roxas, emerald eyes looking right at him and silver hair lying down his back. "Uh, yeah," Roxas managed. The boy turned his head back to the tide. "So, what's your story?" he asked.

"Huh?" Roxas said. The boy rolled his eyes, "Why are you on this island?" he said rather impatiently.

"Oh…" Roxas said, turning his head back to the surf as well. "Me and my sister washed up on shore here after an extreme storm capsized our family's boat." Roxas dropped his eyes to the white sandy beach; he remembered grabbing Kairi as they fell into the ocean and swimming out to the island, carrying Kairi above him. As soon as they got on the shore he collapsed and passed out. "Hmm, well I'm very sorry about that. What's your name by the way?" the boy asked still keeping his eyes on the sea.

"I'm Roxas. What's your name, and why are you here?" Roxas replied, he still didn't know who he was talking too exactly; maybe it was just his imagination going wild. But Roxas quickly pushed the thought away as the boy turned his emerald eyes back on him.

"I'm Riku," the boy said, and Roxas felt like his emerald eyes were boring through his very soul. "As for why I'm here…" Riku paused and his voice took on a different tone, more mysterious and dangerous. "I came to finish something that should have been done a long time ago," Riku whispered, rubbing his finger down the side of the large knife in his pocket, it still had some residue of Sora's blood on it.

Roxas looked at Riku carefully, "What do you mean?"

Riku blinked slowly, "I am here to get rid of someone," he said coldly. "Maybe you know him?" Roxas shivered at Riku's words, he was planning to kill someone? On this island? "What's his name?" Roxas asked slowly.

"Sora," Riku said it as if the boy's name sickened him. Riku must have seen the flash of recognition flash across Roxas's face because Riku grinned wide and cold. "You know him?"

Roxas nodded slowly, "Yeah… He helped me and my sister a little when we arrived here. I'm not exactly sure where he is now, I saw what direction he went in though, but I do know my sister, Kairi, is with him. She ran off after him yelling at me about wanting to help."

Riku's eyes grew stone hard, "I wouldn't trust that idiot, Sora, to protect your sister, a lot of evil things lurk on this island." Roxas stared at him in shock but that was slowly replaced by anger, "I'm pretty sure I can find out where Sora went, he left a trail of blood from some wound on his shoulder, so it wouldn't be hard," Roxas saw Riku grin at him again as he continued, "If I lead you to Sora can you help me and my sister get off of this island?"

Riku's eyes flashed mischievously, "I can definitely help you guys get off the island."

XXX

** Wow isn't Roxas a smart one? Anyways, action is on the way I promise you! I am in the middle of Chapter 5 so I'll hopefully have that done by tonight and post it tomorrow. Cross your fingers! Thanks to all of you that Reviewed by the way your doing a great job!**


	5. Not Everything Is What It Seems

**Is it wrong that this chapter was so much fun to write?**

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Kairi slowly opened her eyes to a bright sun shining in her face through the window. She groaned and rolled over and looked to see that Sora wasn't in the cabin anymore. Kairi quickly threw the covers off and rushed out the door. What if Riku got Sora while she had been sleeping? "Sora!" she screamed, running around the small cabin and looking around desperately. "Kairi?" she heard Sora call out off to her right, she immediately took off towards his voice, only to run right into Sora, knocking him to the ground with her on top of him.

"Whoa!" Sora said as he was knocked on the ground flat on his back, luckily his shoulder was a little bit better so it didn't hurt when his back made contact with the forest floor. "Are you ok? Is something wrong?" Sora asked.

Kairi saw Sora had a bundle of coconuts and mangos at his side, wrapped in a giant palm tree leaf. There was also a small old canteen filled with water in his hand. "I'm sorry," she said and quickly got off of Sora, "nothing's wrong I was just… wondering where you went." She bit her lip. Sora got to his feet and brushed himself off, "I'm fine, just went to get a little food and water for us," he said as he held out a mango for her and the small canteen. "You've got to be hungry." Sora gave her a small smile and placed the mango in her hand.

Kairi looked at the mango in her hand; it was blended colors of orange and yellow. She looked back up at Sora's beautiful face and bright cerulean eyes; oh how she loved those kind eyes. Was he finally able to trust her? After all, he took her in under his shelter and he was obviously thinking about her when he went out to gather this fruit. She smiled back at Sora and the two walked back to his cabin and sat out front. They leaned against the wall and ate the fruit in silence. Sora had chosen a different mango for himself. "Sora… Do you trust me?" Kairi asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

Sora looked up at Kairi. I guess he did, he wanted to protect her, make sure she was okay. "Yes," he whispered. He saw her eyes light up and that made him feel great as he was momentarily lost in her beautiful features. He pried his eyes away and took the rest of the fruit back inside to save for later.

That was his mistake. Just then Sora saw a flash of black out of the corner of his eyes followed by Kairi screaming. "Kairi!" Sora yelled and dashed outside. As soon as he got outside his heart almost stopped. Kairi was pinned to the ground staring up in horror at the creature on top of her. It was some sort of cat; its fur was a dark shade of black and dark yellow stripes running long ways down its long body. There were patches of fur torn out and hanging off in messy clumps. Sora could see the huge muscles underneath the fur and down its tail. The creature turned its head towards Sora and pulled its lips back in a snarl. Its teeth were razor sharp and stained with blood and its eyes, bright gold, stared at Sora with the intention to kill. There was a large tear in its right ear and dried blood on its neck. Sora had lived here for a year and never seen a creature so horrifying.

This thing, where ever it had come from, was not normal.

Sora stared at it in complete shock for a moment as it turned its attention back on Kairi. Only when Kairi screamed his name was when he came back to his senses. He quickly took his knife from his pocket but before he could even move the cat-like creature dug its sharp claws into Kairi's forearm and scraped three long lines down her flesh. She screeched in agony and looked at Sora pleadingly.

Sora looked at the crimson blood down coming from her arm and did about the stupidest thing ever. He launched himself onto the creatures back, wrapping his arms around its extremely muscled neck and holding on tightly. The creature was clearly shocked by this and immediately jumped off of Kairi and ran around desperately trying to get Sora off of its back. Sora plunged his knife deep into its neck, but it wasn't going to go down without leaving his attacker at least minorly injured. Whatever it was, it had managed to run its back, with Sora on it, into a huge tree off to the side. He made a short cry of pain before he slid off the creatures back crumpled to the dry ground.

Kairi had been able to stumble away as the creature released her, clutching her arm tightly as she felt the blood run between her fingers. She just watched in horror as Sora leaped onto its back and was brutally smacked into a tree. The cat creature stumbled for a little bit before falling to the ground, blood pooling rapidly from its neck. "Sora!" Kairi yelled as she rushed to his side, "Sora stay with me!" She cupped her hands around his face and made him look at her, his beautiful cerulean eyes were dull and his face was pale. The knife he was holding was covered with the creature's blood. Sora groaned in agony as Kairi lifted him up onto her small slim shoulders and carried him carefully inside the cabin, wincing as she put pressure on her wounded arm.

Kairi gently laid Sora on the sandy bed and sat down next to him. She ran her hand down his back and around his chest, feeling for any spots that brought him pain or possible broken bones. His golden skin was warm but he was shaking terribly. Kairi rested her fingers on his cheek and he slowly relaxed under her touch. He didn't seem to have broken anything but would definitely suffer some nasty bruises. Sora groaned as she put a little pressure on his back, right along his spine. "Sorry…" she whispered and took her hand away.

She shifted slightly and placed Sora's head on her lap, his spiky chestnut hair was unbelievably soft as it spread out on her pale legs.

Kairi's white skirt was slightly torn at the edges and covered with dirt and grime, her once clean cut pink tank top was splattered with sweat and a small amount of blood, and just like her skirt, it had various mud spots around the front and back. And Sora's blue jeans had newly made slices and holes at the knees and his black shirt had dried blood matted at the shoulder and chest.

Sora slid open his blue eyes and looked up in Kairi's face. He quickly sat up hissing from the pain in his back. "Don't move so quickly," Kairi told him. Sora just shook his head, "I'm fine," he looked over Kairi's mud covered clothing before his wide eyes locked onto her wounded arm, "Are you alright?" Sora asked.

Kairi nodded and laid her hand over the three scrapes along her forearm. She took out her small bottle of hand sanitizer she has used to clean Sora's shoulder wound and applied it to the claw marks. She shut her eyes tightly and bit her tongue, holding back her sounds of pain forming in her throat. She didn't want Sora to worry too much about her.

Sora stood up and stumbled to the corner, picking up a thin piece of his old torn clothing. He walked back and sat back down on the bed, laying his free hand on his forehead to push away the dizzy feeling. "Hold out your arm," he instructed, and Kairi did as she was told, holding her arm out in front of him like a sacrifice. Sora wrapped her arm timidly, trying not to hurt her or put too much pressure on it. He tucked the end of the cloth under the wrap to hold it together, and the new bandage sticking to the small amount of blood that was still oozing out of her arm. "We should go find your brother," Sora said quietly, avoiding her eyes as she jerked her head to look at him.

She looked at his porcelain face and understood well what he was thinking. He blamed himself for her getting injured and he now thinks that he is obviously not able to protect her. "It's not your fault Sora," she whispered. Sora shook his head, "Yes it is, I'm really sorry Kairi." His face looked like it was about to break into a million pieces.

"It's not your fault," she repeated.

Sora stood up and his face fell as he shuffled his way towards the door, the dull pain in his back slowed him down but he could manage. "I-I just think its best we go and find your brother, he could be in trouble," he muttered, thinking of Riku. Maybe the reason Sora hadn't seen his murderous brother was because he was busy elsewhere. Otherwise known as hurting Roxas.

Before Kairi could think of a way to tell him everything was alright there was a flash of blonde outside followed by a voice shouting out her name. "Kairi! Kairi where are you?" Roxas's voice.

Sora looked back at Kairi and their eyes met before they made their way out the door and found Roxas just outside. His clothes had small slits in them and his sky blue eyes looked desperate, but there was something else in them Sora could barely make out. Was there hatred in his eyes?

As soon as Kairi came out he ran up and embraced her, "Thank god you're okay!" he breathed into her red hair. Sora stood off to the side, watching the scene closely, not making a sound. He smiled slightly at the siblings before he saw Roxas's eyes fill with worry and anger as he finally looked at Kairi's wounded arm. "Roxas its okay I—" she was cut off as Roxas whirled on Sora, glaring intensely at the thin young man. "She's hurt! You let her get hurt didn't you?!" Roxas yelled and stepped closer to Sora.

"N-no I didn't," Sora stuttered as his hands started shaking. Roxas growled and pushed Sora to the ground. Sora cried out in pain as his badly bruised back slammed into the hard ground. "I knew it was a bad idea to not go after her right away! I knew you weren't trustworthy!" Roxas screamed at him, bringing his foot down on Sora's chest.

"Roxas stop! It's not his fault! I'm fine!" she yelled as Sora was gasping for breath and struggling to get free under her brothers foot. Kairi ran up to Roxas and grasped his shoulders, desperately trying to take her brother off of Sora.

Roxas growled at Sora as he was clawing at the ground to try to get free. Sora was injured greatly, he barely had enough strength to weakly push at Roxas's leg, but Roxas only pushed his foot down harder on Sora's ribcage, paying no mind to Kairi trying to pull him off.

….

This was all part of Roxas's plan, he had told Riku he'd go find Sora and see just how this young man was holding up so Riku would know beforehand. Riku had agreed and silently slinked back into the dense forest, they agreed to meet back up at the beach tonight. Roxas had no problem tracking Sora down and he even got the lucky strike of knowing the location of where Sora was holed up at the heart of the island. Riku hadn't told Roxas the whole story of why he wanted to harm Sora, but it didn't matter. He hated Sora for taking Kairi away from him and he could see they had formed some sort of bond, which only angered him more. All he wanted was for him and Kairi to get out of here and hopefully get back to their normal lives.

...

Roxas grinned at Sora, taking his foot off of his chest but kicking him sharply in the stomach and shoulder, rendering his old wound open once again. He grabbed Kairi's wrist. "Come on Kairi we're leaving."

Sora was on the ground, curled in a ball, clutching his stomach and gasping for air as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and gushed out of his shoulder and stomach, creating a pool around him. He couldn't even register the pain as he violently shook with his arms wrapped tightly around himself, wailing in agony. He watched as Roxas took Kairi's arm and pulled her after him against her will. She pushed back against him but Roxas was stronger. She gazed at Sora's broken form on the ground, tears in her twilight eyes. "Kairi…" was all he managed to choke out before darkness crept in his vision and dragged him down into it.

XXX

**I told you there'd be action! Woohoo! I'm trying my best not to let the story get away from me. **

**Any questions, comments, or concerns?**


	6. Light Feelings and Dark Secrets

**Whew, sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday. It was a slow Sunday for me, I barely felt like doing anything. Oh well, back to the story.**

XXX

Roxas was viciously dragging Kairi after him. She was stumbling after him, putting all her strength in trying to escape her brother's grasp, digging her heels in the ground, grabbing onto the stiff bark of trees or the smooth surface of rocks as if she expected them to hold her back and free her from Roxas's tight grip. She desperately kept glancing back over her shoulder, yelling out Sora's name and hoping he would come crashing through the forest with his blue eyes flashing and chestnut hair flying behind him to rescue her. But he didn't come, the image of his suffering form stuck in her head as she struggled against her brother. Her eyes glistened with tears. Suddenly her brother, whom she loved without question, had turned into her enemy.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, desperation in her voice as she yanked her arm back once more, but to no avail. Roxas was older and much stronger then she was. "He let you get hurt! You're lucky I came in time to take you away from that freak." Roxas hissed without looking back.

They emerged from the forest and stomped onto the warm sandy beach where she and Roxas had first landed unconscious on the island. She had stopped fighting her blonde brother, hanging her head as she slowly walked after him. She glanced over her shoulder back into the deep green foliage; she was getting farther and farther away from Sora. The cool ocean breeze was tugging at her hair and clothing.

She willingly sat down as Roxas sat besides her, still holding onto his sister's wrist, but he had loosened his hold on her when she stopped fighting him. Kairi yanked her hand out of his grip and wrapped her arms around her knees and drew them up to her chest. "He's not a freak…" Kairi muttered under her breath, so low that Roxas almost didn't hear it. She glanced at him as he stared back at her, "He's not like us, so stay away from him." He said sharply, his blue eyes piercing into hers.

She was shivering greatly, clenching her hands into fists. She opened her mouth to spit back her anger into his face but cut herself off and clenched her law closed again. Tears were welling in her eyes again, drops glistening on her long black eyelashes. Her vision getting blurry with the amount of tears.

Roxas wrapped his arms around her body, holding her head against his chest. "I'm just trying to protect you," he whispered, his eyes darting to her badly marked arm. Sora's attempt to bandage it up still held tightly against her skin. The bleeding had stopped and, since she had cleaned it quickly, she wasn't the slightest worried that it wouldn't heal correctly or get an infection.

Kairi pushed away Roxas's arms and wiped the tears from her eyes, she glanced back at the deep forest with a blank expression, and for a moment Roxas thought she was going to run away from him again, but she just turn back around and looked up into the sky, eyes glistening. The sun was setting, changing the once blue ocean into a temporary beautiful orange color and bleaching the sky with a blend of yellow, orange, and purple.

She wasn't giving up on Sora, but for now there wasn't much she could do. So she sat there next to her brother, gazing up at the setting sun, neither of them moving, until it disappeared in a ray of light behind the ocean, turning it back to the deep blue color, same color as Sora's eyes… She shoved away the pang of sadness as the sky turned black and became littered with stars.

Roxas sat next to the red head with a blank expression on his face. He was looking at the sand as if he expected it to do something amazing. But of course nothing of interest happened. They sat there for what seemed like forever, only coming back to their senses when the siblings heard footsteps behind them. Roxas saw Kairi's eyes light up as she whipped her head around, no doubt hoping it was Sora. But when the silver haired boy walked towards them her expression turned to confusion as she moved her eyes over to rest on her brother. Roxas only got up to meet the boy, "Riku," he said quickly, glancing back at Kairi with a pang of worry forming in his chest. He shoved it away as he turned back to Riku, "Let's go talk over here." He said waving his hand to his right hoping Riku would understand. Roxas's blue eyes flashed with relief as Riku only nodded and started walking slowly.

The blonde turned to follow, looking back at Kairi, she was still glaring at him questioningly, "Just stay here okay?" he told her, not waiting for her answer, "He's just a friend," Roxas added and sluggishly walked after Riku.

Once the two were out of earshot, Roxas looked over to see Kairi still sitting calmly on the beach; resting her head on her knees and watching the waves lap the shore. "It'd be a bad idea if she would have heard us," Roxas started to explain but cut himself off as Riku raised his hand dismissively.

"It's alright, she's your sister right? Kairi is her name?" Riku asked, interest sparking in his emerald eyes. Roxas nodded slowly "Yeah… How did you know her name?" The blonde teen asked.

"I saw her with Sora," Riku replied flatly, watching a short flash of anger go surface on Roxas's face, but it disappeared just as it showed. It then occurred to Roxas that Riku was watching Sora quite often, but Roxas didn't bring it up. Instead he got straight to the point of Riku's visit.

"So… How do we get off this island?" Roxas asked. Riku blinked at him "Don't worry, I'll be able to get both you and your sister away from this rock, there's just one more thing I need." He ignored the outrage forming on Roxas's face and kept going. "I need your sister to come with me to Sora."

"Why?" Roxas ventured, peering backwards to make sure Kairi was still there. Sure enough she was still sitting in the same spot, same position; she didn't look like she had budged an inch.

"I'm sure she'd enjoy seeing Sora one final time," Riku muttered, voice cold and eyes hard. He was expertly hiding his true intent on bringing the girl with him. Luckily Roxas nodded, obviously thinking it made sense to the blonde boy. Roxas's shoulders sagged slightly, "Well alright… Can I come with too though? I just want to be sure she's safe."

Riku's voice wavered a bit but he nodded and said, "Sure. I'll need time to regroup and prepare, so both of you can stay here for a while until I return," Riku looked over Roxas's shoulder at the red head, still perched on the white sand. "I'm sure you can handle yourselves for a little longer."

Roxas straightened at the last sentence, "Of course we can," he said proudly. "I'll see you when you get back then." And with that, Riku nodded slightly and disappeared back in the dense forest.

Roxas turned and walked back to where Kairi was and sat down next to her. She didn't turn her head but moved her twilight eyes over to him. Roxas laid a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay… he's going to help us get off the island."

But Roxas only knew so little of what he had gotten himself and Kairi into.

….

Sora awoke still curled in a ball on the ground outside his small cabin. He blinked his deep blue eyes, getting them back into focus before slowly uncurling himself. He winced as his whole body ached, shutting one eye tightly in pain. He felt like he was just going to fall apart right there. He was stiff everywhere as he pushed himself into a sitting position with much effort, and looked up at the sky. It was morning, the sun just coming over the rise.

_How long have I been out? _He wondered. It must have been a long time since he was stiff and sore everywhere. Before he blacked out he faintly remembered it being midafternoon probably. He was unconscious for that long? It could have been more than just a day he was out, but the thought made his head spin.

There was a deep pain coming from his shoulder as he placed his hand on top of it to see what the problem was. Sora's hand came back slightly covered with blood on his fingertips. He turned his head, moving his shirt to reveal his shoulder. He saw the wound from Riku had re-opened again, now caked with dried blood and dirt.

Placing his hand over his stomach, he knew it was badly bruised. Sora shook his head trying to recall what had happened. He remembered… that blonde boy Roxas had come. That's right; Roxas was the one who had hurt him before dragging Kairi away. Wait a second… "Kairi!" Sora screamed, "Kairi where are you?!" He jumped to his feet, despite the aches in his knees and looked around frantically. Where had Roxas taken her? He was about to dash off into the forest around him in search of her before he stopped himself.

It was his fault Kairi had gotten injured in the first place. His fault that she was gone. His face fell as he realized Roxas had every right to take Kairi away from him, Roxas would protect her way better than he had tried to do.

Sora stumbled to the door of his cabin and stepped inside, holding his shoulder. The stiffness in his muscles were slowly starting to fade but the searing pain in his shoulder shot through him every time he moved it even just a little bit. Sighing, he made his way to the pile of coconuts, mangos, and that small canteen of water off to the corner. Sora laid his back against the cabin walls and slowly slid down, picking up the canteen of water and taking a huge drink of it before pouring the rest over his shoulder and shirt, clearing the blood and grime off.

He clutched a soft mango in his hand, dropping the canteen and taking a timid bite into the fruit as if he thought it was come alive and hurt him too. But of course, nothing happened as the sweet juice flowed into his mouth.

He sat there for a long time, the sun sinking slowly back down in the sky. Finishing the mango he pushed himself to his feet and layed down on his bed, staring out the small window he had cut out. Everything was calm, only a gentle breeze rustled the bright green leaves outside.

A thought was still nagging at him though. How did he feel about the red head that suddenly crashed into his life? Of course he thought she was beautiful. She was the only person that he actually trusted in more than a year. She had filled the hole in his heart, the piece of him that was longing for kindness and comfort for an entire year. He closed his eyes, images of Kairi flashing through his mind. The way her red hair blew around her face, the way her twilight eyes sparkled in the moon light. The way she had hugged him, spreading warmth throughout his entire body. She was important to him, yet he had failed to protect her when it mattered. Now she was gone. He wiped away the tears forming in his eyes as he turned himself over refusing to look out the window. Kairi was out there somewhere and it was killing him that he didn't know where. There was a deep pain in his heart as one single question came into his mind.

Would he ever see her again?

XXX

**I almost didn't put Sora in this chapter but I thought that'd be really stupid considering where I left off with him. ~.~**

**Thanks for reading! Keep reviewing, I need some motivation to keep going with the story!(: I'll try my best to update when I can, school is kicking my butt. If ya know what I mean.**


	7. Once Again

**Homework, why must you keep me from writing?**

XXX

Days dragged by as Sora tried to get back to his life on the island. He had no idea what day it was, and he was even more clueless on how many had gone by. The wound in his shoulder had finally closed up, the only evidence left that it had ever existed was a thin scar tracing the outside of his collarbone and soft pink colored flesh. The pain had turned dull so it was more annoying than agonizing.

He was walking along the island, lost in his own thoughts. He didn't know where he was going and Sora wasn't really paying any mind to his surroundings but was aware of seeing a small collection of baby palm trees off to his right along with a beautiful array of blooming Jasmine as he passed, inhaling the sweet fragrance reminded him of how calm and beautiful this island could be, yet with the current state of his mind he couldn't appreciate it as much as he would have. On any other day he would have sat back, enjoying the scents of nature and the warm sun on his face. But this wasn't like a normal day. Sora was thinking non-stop about Kairi. The only thing he had left of her was his memories of the caring red head.

He hadn't seen her in what felt like decades, maybe she wasn't even on the island anymore. The thought brought a fresh pain deep in his heart. He had tried to forget about her, busying himself with collecting new branches, scaling trees to their peaks, sharpening his only knife, he even tried seeing how many skips he could get if he threw a rock into the ocean. Yet somehow, that girl had found her way into his mind, floating through his thoughts.

He didn't bring himself back to reality until he felt the ground underneath his feet give way to soft sand. He looked around and realized he had wondered all the way to the edge of the island while he was lost in his own mess of memories. He slowly walked to the edge of the ocean, the waves hitting his shoes then receding back into the endless blue sea. Sora turned himself, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets and strolled down the edge of the beach, listening to the sound of the waves and the smell of the salty ocean breeze.

The sun was just setting, bleaching the sky to a temporary light orange. Sora was just about to turn and head back into the forest when a voice caught his attention.

"Kairi… Come on, it's been days since you've eaten. Can you just please eat this?"

Sora recognized the voice; it belonged to Roxas. He dashed back into the protection of the deep green forest but stayed at the edge. He crouched behind a wad of bushes and just barely peeked out to see the blonde boy and the beautiful red head, Kairi, sitting on the beach together; their backs were towards Sora. He stared in amazement. She was still here! He was over joyed as warmth flooded through the brunette's body. Inching closer to get a better look, he was taken aback by her current state. Kairi had gotten much thinner; Sora could almost see her ribs from where he was. Her silky red hair was dull and tangled and there was a wicked sun burn on the back of her shoulders like she had been lying on her back in the sun for a long time. Her once white skirt had turned a dark shade of beige, being covered in mud and wet sand. Her pink shirt had darkened to an ugly brown. Although her brother didn't look much better, same mess of blonde hair, ragged clothes, yet his skin was still pale.

Sora sat there, taking in the sight before him. Roxas was urging Kairi to take the berries he held in his palm. However, Kairi just turned away from him stubbornly, refusing to even look at his face.

"C'mon… You haven't been the same since I found you with that boy. I knew it was a bad idea that I didn't go after you," Roxas muttered.

Kairi's head immediately swung around, Sora could see the purple blaze forming in her eyes. Roxas must of seen it too because he took a hesitant step back from his sister. "Sora is a much better person then you think he is! All he needed was someone to talk to, but you took me away from him!" Kairi snapped, "He was just starting to actually trust me too! Something I thought was going to be impossible." She threw up her hands, exasperated. She turned away from Roxas and the purple flames died in her eyes as she looked away. "I wonder if he's okay… and… I dunno… maybe he could have even liked me back…" She whispered, so quietly Sora had to strain his ears to hear it, leaning dangerously forward out behind the safety of the bushes.

Unfortunately, as soon as the words registered in his mind, he lost his balance, falling face first to the lightly sanded ground. Immediately he scrambled backwards on his hands and knees and ducked behind the large leafy bush. "What was that?" Roxas said, turning his eyes in Sora's direction.

Sora could feel his heart was pounding against his ribcage. _Please don't notice me, please don't notice me. _He thought desperately as Roxas's blue gaze stopped right on his hiding place. Kairi didn't even turn around; she just sat there, legs drawn to her chest, gazing towards the ocean. "Probably just a bird or something…" she sighed.

The utter defeat in her voice made Sora's heart ache. He couldn't stay here anymore. He didn't want to hear anymore, his heart was beating twice as fast as normal. As much as he wanted to jump out and let her know he was fine, set just a small part of her at ease, he had to get out of here. Besides, just knowing Kairi was still on the island was enough.

Taking one last look at the red head and her brother, Sora turned his back on them and kicked his legs into gear, running back to his cabin in the heart of the forest. Kairi was okay, that much he knew. But for how long? His mind flashed back to the encounter with Riku. It seemed so long ago. He had promised to take everything Sora held close. If he found out about how important Kairi was to him… Sora didn't want to finish the thought. He still remembered when Roxas brutally took Kairi from him and left him injured on the ground. Yet Sora got the feeling he was just trying to protect his sister as much as Sora felt like he wanted to protect her too. Sora sighed, Roxas wasn't bad, just mislead, and Sora couldn't blame him.

Looking up at the sky as he ran, the sun had completely disappeared, and stars were popping out of the thick blackness. As he arrived at his home, he stepped in, kicked off his shoes, and lay down on his bed. He needed to think, make better sense of the things he heard and the things he knew. But tonight he could finally rest a bit easier knowing Kairi was still here, for better or worse.

…

Roxas's eyes scanned the forest, searching for the cause of the loud crash, but came up with nothing. He turned around, lying down next to Kairi. He was seriously worried about her. She hadn't eaten anything since they got back to the beach. Most of the time she'd just sit there, in that same position, knees tucked to her chest and long arms wrapped around them with her cranberry hair hiding her face. Occasionally she'd shift her position stretching out her stiff arms and legs. Her frame had become small and frail, ribs showing and her eyes losing their usual shine. If her eyes fell on the forest behind them they would form a longing and desperate look, as if she expected someone to burst out of it. She refused to let him touch her or feed her; she acted like he wasn't even there most of the time. That blaze in her eyes when she had defended Sora was the only amount of emotion he had seen from her in what felt like forever.

Roxas looked his sister up and down. "Sora would want you to eat these," he urged, holding out his palm with the berries again. She jerked backwards and looked at her brother then at the berries in his palm. A small spark flashed in her eyes. Obviously mentioning the brunette boy was the only way he could get through to Kairi, let alone get her attention.

Timidly she reached out her hand and took the dark colored berries. Her skin was freezing cold, despite the patches of burned skin here and there from the sun. He watched as she brought them up to her mouth and plopped them inside one at a time, chewing and swallowing very slowly. A smile formed on Roxas's lips even as Kairi turned back to her distant state once again, he was happy he had gotten her to eat something.

Roxas gazed up at the now star-filled sky. He hadn't seen Riku in a while, but the silver haired boy had promised to get them off the island. Right now, that was his only hope for him and Kairi, and he clung to it like it was the last thing on Earth. They just had to hold out a little longer.

XXX

**Yay for Sora! We are inching closer and closer to the climax of this story so bare with me guys. I want the climax to be all in the same chapter. Cause I know most of you hate cliffhangers (I do too so don't worry). Anyways, thanks to all of you that reviewed! It motivates me to keep writing. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon since we are once again entering the weekend. (Woop woop!)**


	8. Going Back

**It was hard to write this when my cat kept walking all over my keyboard. But I felt cool because I got the black and white checkered wristband and finger warmers that Roxas wears awhile ago and I was wearing them while I was writing this. Haha.**

XXX

She was lying down on the beach, looking straight up at the sky. It was a normal day, yet something felt… different. The usual salty smell of the ocean wasn't there. No breeze was blowing through the island like it normally would. There was no noise, it was eerily quiet. She sat up and looked to her left and right before dropping her gaze to the sand below. '_Something is definitely wrong.'_ She stared at the ground in shock. The usual white sand she was expecting to greet her was pitch black. Standing up quickly, she whipped around and gazed at the equally black forest behind her. Only the bright glow of the moon above allowed her to see the outline of the trees and plants.

The sound of quick footsteps and heavy panting shattered the silence. Sliding her gaze over in the direction where the noise was coming from. What she saw almost stopped her heart all together. It was the same brunette boy, same spiked up hair and black shirt and blue jeans. He was barefoot running at full speed towards her. His breath coming out in rapid gasps as he turned to glance behind him. Blood poured from his shoulder and chest, leaving a trail behind him. She saw his bright blue eyes illuminate through the darkness as they grew wide with fear. _'What is he seeing?'_ she wondered. Sora turned his head towards her. "Kairi!" he wailed, reaching his hand out to her as he continued running. Darkness was creeping up his legs and midsection, his eyes full of pure terror. "Sora? What's wrong?" She called to him. The darkness was past his chest, spreading down his arms and crawling up his neck.

Then the unthinkable happened. Everything went in slow motion as his legs gave way and sent him sprawling on the black sand. He yelled in agony and terror as he turned around, cerulean eyes pleading her to help him. She tried to move and run to his side but her legs wouldn't budge. Kairi was forced to watch as the darkness covered his face and dragged him down into the ground.

"Sora!" Kairi screamed, jolting awake. She blinked her twilight eyes as she was blinded by a bright light. Sitting up and swiveling her head around she realized she was still on the beach. The sand was white and the sun was high above her, shining brightly in the blue sky. There was no darkness, the familiar breeze was there and she sighed as she heard the comforting sounds of the waves.

"Kairi? Are you ok?" a voice worried voice spoke behind her.

Turning her head slowly she saw Roxas behind her, his blue eyes full of worry as he gazed down at his sister. "I-I'm alright." She stammered. It was just a dream; Sora was okay, well as far as she knew he was. He could be dead; his brother that Sora had told her about could have gotten to him. Maybe that's why she hadn't seen him in days. The red head shook her head at the thought. Sora is strong, she reminded herself. Yet the fact that she had no idea if he was okay or not had eaten away at her since she had been dragged away from the beautiful brunette teen. Although she knew if she took off and ran back to Sora she'd just be tracked down by Roxas and he'd bring her back and she'd but Sora in danger as well. Still, she had to do something, staying here in her own agony was tearing her apart. And sitting here wasn't going help in any way.

"Alright if you're sure…" Roxas said, "Here, eat this okay?" he told her, holding out a half-eaten mango and placing it in her lap. Kairi just looked at it before picking it up attentively and taking a bite. The sweet juices flowed into her mouth and it reminded her of the mangos she had had with Sora in his cabin. An event that felt like it had happened a long time ago. God, everything reminded her of Sora.

"You've been sleeping for most of the day," Roxas said as he padded up next to her and sat down. His blue eyes studied her carefully. "I hope you feel a little better." The blonde smiled softly at her. Kairi nodded slightly, turning her gaze back towards the blue ocean. She let her legs lay out in front of her, enjoying the warmth of the rays of sunlight.

"Don't worry Kairi, we'll get off this island soon enough." Roxas spoke softly to her before shakily standing up and disappearing back in the forest, leaving the pretty red head alone to enjoy the sun. Kairi closed her eyes and she let Roxas's words register in her mind. She didn't move when it made sense to her though. Truth was, she didn't want to leave the island. More specific, she didn't want to leave Sora.

….

Roxas dragged his feet as he walked the forest, pushing his hands out in front of him to clear a path for himself. It's been at least a week since he saw Riku last. Where was he? Riku hadn't abandoned them had he? No that can't be right, he said he wanted to let Kairi say good bye to Sora before they left. Roxas pushed away another oversized bright green leaf hanging out in front of him and stopped by an old tree stump to rest. He didn't want to get too far from his sister but he needed to find Riku.

As Roxas was vigorously debating whether he should stay by Kairi or go off in search for Riku, a familiar voice cut through his thoughts. "Hello Roxas, sorry I've been rather busy lately." Roxas turned to see none other than the silver haired teen looking back at him.

"It's alright..." the blonde spoke reluctantly. "How did you find me anyways?"

"Well I figured you'd be close to your sister." Riku said, glancing in the direction where Kairi was still on the beach. Roxas only nodded. "So when does Kairi get to say her goodbye and we leave the island?" he pushed, he had waiting this long and he now deserved a solid answer to his question.

"Tomorrow." Riku said flatly, fingering the knife that sat in his pocket. Tomorrow was the day he would finally be rid of his brother and be able to return home to his parents without a care anymore. "We can meet at this spot tomorrow morning; it shouldn't be a long journey to where Sora is." Riku added, suppressing the smirk tugging on his lips.

Roxas turned his head away and nodded slightly, "Okay sounds good," he said standing up and turning to head back to the beach. "Thanks Riku." The blonde muttered before disappearing behind the green foliage once again. Thoughts raced through Roxas's head as he made his way back to the beach. _Tomorrow's the day. We can finally get away from this place._

As he emerged out of forest and onto the light sandy beach and looked around his heart nearly stopped. Kairi was nowhere in sight. She wasn't sitting on the sand in her normal fetal position as he expected. He dashed out to the water's edge, "Kairi!" he screamed, rapidly snapping his head from side to side. But no answer returned, the glorious red head was gone.

"I'm sure you know quite well where your sister has gone off to." A voice said quietly behind him. Roxas whirled around and saw Riku standing a few feet away. "Sorry to startle you, I heard you shout out. You should know where Kairi went." The silver haired teen added.

Roxas glared at Riku intensely, taking on a new tone of disbelief and anger he said, "She went to Sora." Riku nodded as the blonde dashed forward but Riku's hand shot out in front of him, causing him to slide to a halt. "It's alright, leave her. We're going there anyways remember? You'll be able to get her back tomorrow."

Roxas sighed, dropping his gaze and turning back to the beach, "Okay…" he muttered. Roxas sat on the sand, staring up at the sun climbing higher in the sky.

"See you tomorrow," Riku spoke and Roxas heard the loud rustle of plants behind him and silence, knowing Riku had retreated back into the forest.

….

Kairi was practically tripping over herself as she ran through the forest, dodging rocks, jumping over tree stumps, and stomping through plants. Her eyes were darting back and forth and her red hair was flying wildly behind her. She had to know if Sora was okay, she had to see him before she was eaten alive by her own curiosity.

So she made the decision to run. As her brother went back into the deep forest she got to her feet and dashed down the beach so she could find a better place to disappear into the forest. After she was sure she was far enough away she blindly drove her legs to where she had memorized where Sora's cabin was.

Kairi could make out the familiar clearing ahead of her as she burst out into the open. His cabin was in front of her, broken coconuts and dirt littered the front of the wooden structure. "Sora! Where are you?!" she called out into the emptiness.

….

The brunette boy had slept in that morning. Groaning as he sat up, turning himself so he sat cross-legged on the bed, facing the window. The sun was high in the sky already, illuminating the entire island. Again his mind drifted back to the red headed girl. Sora remembered everything about her, her slim frame, now tattered white skirt and red tank top, red hair, gorgeous twilight colored eyes.

Sighing, he dragged himself to his feet and started out the door. Trudging through the forest, he was allowing himself to be lost in his own thoughts today. After seeing that Kairi was okay yesterday he definitely had a lot to think about. He didn't need to gather up any necessities and it's been a while since he had a break.

His light brown spikes on his head bounced around as the wind came around. He stayed within earshot of his home and climbed up a nearby tree. Placing his feet and hands carefully as he sat down on the first steady branch he could find. Sora let his legs dangle beneath him as he put his hands down on the branch, steadying himself so he wouldn't fall.

It was a nice day on the island; the usual sounds of the birds chirping and rattling leaves soothed him and set his mind at ease. He sat there for a long time, enjoying his home and letting his thoughts run wild.

Sora was shaken from his thoughts as a shout cut through the calmness. "Sora! Where are you?!" the familiar voice reached his ears.

"K-Kairi?" he yelled back, thinking it was too good to be true. Just then the red head girl came running out of the forest and came to a halt under the tree he was sitting in. "Sora?" she called, glancing around. Sora was so shocked that she was here that he lost his hold in the branch he was perched on and fell backwards, landing hard on his back on the ground in front of her. "Ouch.." he muttered, rubbing the back of his head and blinking rapidly to stop the dancing black spots in his vision. He could make out the figure of Kairi standing over him. "Oh my god, are you okay?!" she yelped in surprise as the brunette crashed to the ground, her eyes filling with worry.

"Y-yeah I'm fine," Sora said, getting up slowly. However as soon as he got back on his feet, a force slammed into his chest and knocked him back onto the ground. He looked down to see Kairi hugging him tightly and resting her head on his chest. "You know, I'm getting tired of falling on the ground all the time." He said, humor in his voice as he looked at the red head.

Kairi giggled, apologizing softly as looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. "You're clumsy either ways," she said smiling widely. "Gee thanks," he replied laughing. Kairi looked at his face and tightened her grip around his midsection, "I'm so glad you're okay. I-I had to know you were doing fine. I missed you…" She whispered, laying her head back down on his chest, listening to his gentle heartbeat.

Sora's gaze softened and he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad you're okay too, Kai. I missed you too." The nickname sounded right on his tongue as if he has been calling her that forever. They both stayed like that, lying on the ground, wrapped in each other's embrace as if the only people left on the world right now were each other. _This is real…_ Kairi thought, she wanted to be in no other place then wrapped in Sora's arms.

Kairi finally snapped back into reality as she gently got off of him and stood up. She held out her hand to help Sora get to his feet. He accepted it and stood up, a big grin on his face. She held onto his hand as he led her back to his cabin in silence and stepped inside. Obviously they had been in that position on the ground for a long time because he could see the sun sinking back down, replacing the once light blue sky with a dark shade of blue and red. The stars coming into existence in the sky.

Sora helped Kairi onto his bed and she broke her hold on his hand as he went over and set up a pile of his old torn clothes to lay his head on. Kairi sat down on the bed and watched Sora; he looked the same, no new blood or injures which warmed her heart. It didn't look like he had encountered any trouble since she was gone. She smiled sincerely at him, "Um Sora?" she said. "Yeah Kai?" he replied turning to her and studying her face. She smiled even wider at the newfound nickname.

"Can you uh…" she stopped herself and looked into his beautiful face and soft features. He wouldn't think terribly of her ever. "Could you possibly… would you want to…" her voice was failing her as she tried to find the right words. She lowered her gaze to the bed beneath her, sighing and laying down.

Sora saw her expression and smiled slightly, "I'd be happy to lay with you." He moved towards the bed and laid down next to her. Kairi felt her heart beat so fast she was sure Sora could hear it, she shivered as she felt the heat radiating off of his tan body "Are you cold?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. The red head nodded and rolled over on her side with her back towards him as she felt his arms close around her body. She felt his warmth spread through her body as she closed her eyes, and laid her hands on his arms.

Sora stayed awake until he heard the soft breathing of the red head next to him. He wanted to be sure she would sleep fine tonight. Eventually sleep overtook him as his eyes drooped and he slept with his arms around her, feeling as if he was the luckiest person in the entire world.

XXX

**Aww yay for the two of them(: Well anyways, the next chapter is the real deal, we're finally closer the close to the climax so watch out for the next chapter. I love the weekend but it only lasts so long. **

**Remember to review guys!**


	9. So, You've Come Back Brother?

**I'm losing it guys, I called my cat Kairi while I was writing this and when my friend asked me what fruit I wanted I said a paopu fruit. **

**Oh well... Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, school's been bugging me and I really had to think about how I wanted the rest of this story to go.**

XXX

The blonde woke on the sandy beach and sat up, stretching his stiff limbs. The sun was just coming up over the horizon and he could smell the fresh dew that peppered the various plants behind him. He wouldn't say he slept well but he didn't have a terrible night like when he first arrived at this hellhole. He guessed knowing the fact that Kairi was fine and he'd retrieve her in the morning eased him a little.

Roxas stood up groggily, rubbing the side of his head. "Today's the day…" he muttered to himself as he turned and walked into the forest. Yes, today was the day he'd finally return to their normal lives, or as normal as they can be with their parents gone...

The thought of his parents made him want to break down right there on the cold forest floor. Yet, he knew he had to be strong; strong for himself and his sister.

Roxas emerged to the familiar old tree stump he had seen Riku at yesterday and slumped down, resting his head on his hand and gazing blankly at the mesh of green in front of him. The island was beautiful, yet he still considered it hell in his mind.

Roxas snapped out of his daze and tilted his head up to see the silver haired boy staring down at him; a sick grin was spread across his face. Roxas had never seen Riku look healthier, his muscles were large, bulging under his lightly tanned skin, and he had on a fresh pair of black jeans and a white shirt with a large black skull in the middle. His emerald eyes gleamed evilly. How could he look so healthy?

"Let's get moving." Riku growled low and headed off into the thick foliage with Roxas at his heels.

….

Kairi cracked open her twilight eyes as the morning sun shone brightly in through the window, making her eyes shine. She shifted slightly to find she was still wrapped in Sora's comforting arms. She gently pushed his arms off and sat up to face him. Sora was still in deep sleep, his chestnut locks fanned out wildly on the thin pillow and a relaxed look on his face.

Unconsciously his hands moved around on the bed, clenching the sheet in his hands, searching for her. Kairi smiled and settled her hand on his shoulder. Immediately he let go of the sheet and his hands limply laid out in front of him, a content sigh escaped his lips.

If it was even possible, he looked twice as cute when he was sleeping.

She grinned like an idiot and pulled her hand away, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and running her fingers through her crimson hair, desperately trying to untangle it as much as she could.

She gave up after a while; her hair looked better but still had some knots underneath. Sighing, she swung her feet out over the foot of the bed, careful not to wake Sora, and stood up. The red head reached down and picked up a few small red berries that were settled in the pile of mangos and coconuts off to the corner. She nibbled on them slowly; looking back and forth between Sora's gentle sleeping form and the window.

"Mmm," he muttered, turning on his back with his hands laid over his chest. The bright white sun shone down on him, illuminating his wild chestnut hair, making it look extremely shiny. It brightened up his soft features of his face. With his eyes closed, Kairi thought he looked like an angel fallen from heaven itself. She smiled and walked over to him, gently shaking his shoulder. "Sora… get up." She whispered.

"No… five more minutes' mom..." He grumbled, turning over on his side towards her. Kairi giggled at this and laid her head on his chest, looking up at his face and shaking his shoulder some more. "Wake up spiky hair." She said as she ran her fingers through his chestnut spikes.

Sora cracked his beautiful blue eyes open and looked down at Kairi resting on his chest. He tilted his head in confusion, blue eyes dazed from sleep. "Kairi…" he groaned, sliding his eyes shut again, "I'll get up later…" Kairi laughed, getting up and placing herself on top of him, sitting on his stomach and laying her hands on his chest, he was obviously still out of it.

Sora slid his eyes again at the pressure on his stomach and looked at Kairi on top of him. "Are you finally awake?" she said smiling.

Sora smiled up at her and opened his eyes all the way, "I guess so."

"Oh and by the way, I'm pretty sure I'm not your mom." She said, gesturing to herself and giggling

Sora blushed and hid his face with his hands, chuckling under his breath. Kairi laughed and hoisted herself off of his slender frame and stood next to the bed as Sora rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and removed his hands from his face. He sat up and set his feet down on the floor of his cabin, stretching. He stood up, grabbing a mango on his way out the door with the red head following closely behind him with a love sick smile on her face.

Together they sat outside his cabin, leaning against the wall and watching the whispering forest around them.

….

Roxas was quickly leading with Riku at heels, trying his best to not trip on anything. "How much farther?" Riku groaned behind him.

"We're very close, don't worry," Roxas replied glancing back to catch the irritated look cross Riku's face. They had been walking in silence and Roxas hung his head. He could see a small clearing a good distance in front of them.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Riku straighten ever so slightly and watched him rubbing his hand against something in his pocket. It was then that Roxas started to question himself about this silver haired boy that had snuck his way into Roxas's life. He didn't know the truth about Riku but yet went along with whatever he said. He was dark and mysterious and that bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes that would surface whenever they talked about Sora gave him the chills.

Roxas shuddered and wrapped his arms around his shoulders as they walked. What was waiting ahead for him now?

….

Sora rested his head against the wooden frame of his home and stared up into the pale sky, blue eyes glistening in the sun's rays. Kairi set her head on his shoulder, her cranberry hair flowing around her fragile face. He shut his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the sweet scent of Kairi's hair.

For the first time in a year he had gotten the best sleep of his life and he was truly happy. Sure, it was nice on the island before Riku crashed back into his life, but nothing like what he was feeling now. Something he hadn't felt in ages, he liked this red haired girl. A few weeks ago it was difficult for him to even be in the presence of someone else. But now, all he could ever ask for is just to have Kairi near him.

His thoughts were cut short when he felt Kairi go rigid against him, making a small sound in her throat. Sora snapped his eyes open, and standing in front of him, a few yards away were his brother Riku and Kairi's blonde brother Roxas standing side by side.

A stab of fear shot through Sora as he jerked up, getting to his feet. Kairi followed and stood close to Sora. "Roxas…" she muttered, disbelief in her voice as she stared deep into Roxas's eyes. Riku smirked as he looked at the two until his emerald eyes locked on Sora.

"Miss me?" he asked, his eyes showing nothing but cruel hatred.

XXX

**Ah a cliffhanger! I know I'm evil. Thanks to those who reviewed, you guys really help me and I love reviews! Anyways look out for the next chapter, I have no idea when I'll be done with it, sorry. Just hang in there.**


	10. You Hurt Him

**Dun dun dun...**

XXX

Sora shuddered and forced himself to look his brother in the eyes. "R-Riku? Why are you here?"

"You know why I'm here," he replied, looking over at Kairi. Sora quickly put his arm out in front of her. "You obviously didn't heed my warning when I told you I'd take away what you hold close."

"Sora? What's he talking about? Kairi asked, shivering. "Who is he?"

Sora didn't answer for a little bit, but Kairi could see his muscles tense and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Her mind was working furiously to understand why he was so on edge, why he looked so… afraid.

"He's my brother…" Sora whispered.

Kairi gasped and put her hands over her mouth as she stared in complete shock at the silver haired teen. "Y-You hurt Sora." She said.

Riku nodded and grinned menacingly at the girl. "Your brother had helped me greatly, in fact, he lead me here."

Roxas looked at his sister, not even a hint of emotion in his eyes, "He promised we'd be able to get off the island, now say good bye to Sora." The blonde walked over to Kairi, completely ignoring Sora who was too shocked to do anything, and grabbed her wrist, pulling her over next to Riku beside him. Kairi was at a loss of what to do or say, she didn't even fight back just walked behind him in a haze.

"Ah, not so fast Roxas," Riku said, stopping Roxas with his hand and taking hold of Kairi's forearm, "for you see, since Sora did not listen he must pay the consequences, and I'm afraid Kairi is part of that." He grinned and pulled out a large knife from his pocket.

"You said we wouldn't get hurt." Roxas replied sharply, swiping at Riku's arm that held onto Kairi. Riku just glared at him and kicked the blonde square in the chest, sending him flying backwards into the thick forest; landing hard on his back outside of the small clearing.

"Roxas!" Kairi screamed, snapping out of her daze. She struggled to escape Riku's tight hold on her arm.

"I lied." Riku replied as he looked at Roxas lying useless on the ground. He tightened his grip on the red head and she made a small hurt sound in her throat.

Sora looked from Roxas to Riku then into Kairi's terrified indigo eyes. "Don't you touch her!" Sora yelled, taking a few steps forward, only to be stopped by Kairi's wail of agony as Riku took the knife and slashed it down her back. Sora could see the flow of blood dripping and splashing onto the forest floor. Riku released her and she crumpled to the ground, whimpering as she wrapped her arms around herself tightly.

"You hurt others Sora," Riku sneered coldly as he gestured to Kairi, then to Roxas, "look at what pain you brought to the girl you liked and her frail brother."

Sora went rigid, he was afraid, terrified even. He wanted to curl up in a ball and tell himself that this whole thing was just a bad dream. But as he glanced at Roxas's broken form and then to Kairi, laid out in a heap by Riku, he knew this wasn't a dream, this was _real_, it was happening before his very eyes. Kairi's pleading eyes looked onto his, "Sora…" she cried.

Sora snapped out of his daze, his fear replaced by rage. He was on Riku in an instant, blue eyes wild, arms stretched out in front of him like a crazed animal. Riku widen his eyes as Sora leapt on him, obviously not expecting such a vicious action from the frail boy. But the shock only lasted a second before he snapped back into his hatred.

Sora and Riku went tumbling, smashing into the ground on their sides. Sora had managed to slash a deep cut down Riku's thigh, tearing straight through the black fabric and tan flesh. Red blood immediately poured out, soaking into his black jeans as Riku hissed in pain, clutching his leg with both his hands, momentarily turning his attention away from Sora.

Sora hastily scrambled away from Riku, using Riku's new injury as an opening to help Kairi. He rushed to her side, sliding down on his hands and knees next to her, "Kairi, are you alright?" he asked, laying his hand on her back. She winced at his touch and when he drew his hand back it was covered in her thick crimson blood.

"I-I'm fine," she managed to get out through clenched teeth.

Sora wrapped his arms around her waist and helped her to her feet, half dragging, half carrying her over to the safety of the forest. He set her down in a sitting position behind a large bush and examined her wound. Sora let out a relieved breath, "It's not too deep," he muttered, tearing off the bottom hem of his shirt, making it shorter and showing a strip of his golden skin. He started dabbing at the blood; carefully cleaning it from her back.

Sora could hear Riku on the other side of their hiding spot, groaning in pain and anger. He figured Riku was at least back on his feet by now, which means he had limited time before he found them.

"Thanks Sora," he heard Kairi mutter under her breath as she turned to face him.

"No problem, sneak around through the trees over to your brother while I distract Riku okay? Get Roxas back on his feet."

Kairi placed her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat rapidly against his ribcage. "But… You'll get hurt…" she whispered. The thought of losing Sora was just too much for her to bare.

"I'll be okay Kai," he replied, trying to give her his best smile. "Besides he's after me anyways and Roxas needs help."

"But…"

"Please Kai, I-I don't want you to get hurt anymore…" She could hear the desperation in his voice; and the pain deep in his beautiful blue eyes almost made her want to cry. She just nodded and quietly stepped away from him to edge around the clearing to get to her brother.

She could hardly see through the dense forest but she could make out Sora coming out of the bushes to face Riku.

"Looking for me?" he shouted as Riku snapped his head to the side to glare at Sora. His leg was still bleeding but Riku acted like it was nothing, nothing more than a small scrape.

Kairi averted her indigo eyes from them as she saw Riku stepping closer to Sora, his emerald eyes blazed with pure rage. She had to focus on getting to her brother. The sooner she got Roxas back up, the quicker she could help Sora. She turned her head and slowly but surely made it to her brothers side and knelt down next to him. She ran her eyes over him, examining for any serious injuries. Thankfully they were still concealed by the thick foliage but she could hear the sounds of the two siblings fighting behind her.

He seemed okay, just dazed and aching on his back from where he collided with the unforgiving ground. "Roxas, are you okay?" Kairi muttered as she slipped her arm under him and helped the blonde up into a sitting position, "C'mon you gotta get up."

Roxas shook his head and blinked rapidly as he tried to focus on his sister. "Kairi… You're okay."

Kairi nodded and held out her hand to him, "C'mon, can you stand?"

"I think so."

Roxas took her hand and pulled himself to his feet. "Where's Riku?" he asked, glancing around.

A piercing scream split the air so loud that Kairi thought her ears were going to burst. "Sora!" Kairi screamed, moving a group of branches out of her way. Her heart could've stopped right there, she was frozen in shock as she saw Sora on the ground with the back of his shirt torn to shreds from the multiple cuts that Riku had marked across his beautiful body. Deep red blood poured out, covering his back completely and dripping down his sides.

She gasped and grabbed Roxas's wrist, tugging him behind her out of the forest, "We have to help him!"

….

"Looking for me?" Sora shouted at Riku as the silver haired boy whirled on him. The blaze in his eyes made Sora flinch; How is he supposed to beat him? Riku is bigger, older, and stronger than him.

"I'm going to have you begging for death." Riku snarled, running up to Sora with his knife flashing in a silver arch in front of him.

Sora dove out of the way as Riku stumbled by him. He had to use his size against him, that's the only way he stood a chance against Riku. Sora spun around and saw Riku's knife was impaled in a tree and he was viciously trying to pull it free. Sora took this moment and scanned the forest, looking for any sign of Kairi. He spotted the red head inching along the edge, she had her head turned away from him and she was only a few feet away from Roxas.

Sora breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Kairi kneel down next to her brother. Sora turned back to Riku and his blue eyes widened in shock when he found his brother was nowhere around. Riku's knife was gone and there was a deep gash in the tree from where it hit; Riku had clearly gotten his knife free. Sora whirled around, his heart beating a million miles an hour. Where could Riku have gone?

With his back turned away, Riku had managed to get his knife and was now charging at Sora from behind, slashing at an angle, catching the side of Sora's stomach.

Pain exploded on Sora's side as he bent over, hugging his side tightly, trying to stop the quick flow of blood that was now staining his black shirt and jeans. A blow caught him on the side of his face from Riku's fist and he was sent crashing to the ground on his back, hissing in pain.

Sora blinked the stars out of his eyes and looked up to see Riku jumping on him with his silver knife positioned in front, aimed directly at Sora's chest. He rolled out of the way as Riku's knife drove into the ground next to him, just inches from his shoulder.

_Please hurry Kairi, _Sora thought desperately as Riku jumped on him again.

He rolled again, stopping on his stomach. Sora's side stung horribly and he clutched it tightly, trying to numb the pain somehow. He put his hands on the ground and starting pushing himself back to his feet when something slammed into his lower back, forcing him on the ground again.

Sora couldn't move, he was pinned to the ground. He angled his head painfully to catch a glimpse of Riku's foot pressing down on his lower back. He turned his head back, relieving the strain on his neck. He clutched his knife tightly in his right hand, bleaching his knuckles white. Sora made a desperate swipe backwards and plunged the knife deep into Riku's calf. Red blood doused his leg and Sora pulled the knife back out, still gripping it tightly.

Riku howled in anger and bent closer to Sora's ear, "I'll show you the true meaning of pain," Riku growled above him. Immediately searing pain spread across his back as Riku slashed his knife across his flesh. Sora counted how many times the knife came to try and keep his mind off the pain.

One, two, three, four…

Sora clenched his teeth. Where was Kairi? Where was Roxas?

Five, six, seven, eight, nine…

He dug his fingers into the dirt underneath him. Is it going to stop?

Ten, eleven, twelve…

It was then that Sora let out an ear piercing scream, cutting through the air, spreading through the island. His knife fell from his hand and the endless cuts stopped. His back felt like it was on fire, spreading all over him; engulfing him completely. Yet he couldn't black out, he had to stay awake no matter what Riku threw at him.

Sora felt Riku's hand on his shoulder, wrenching him over on his back. He groaned in agony at the sudden movement, spreading his arms out on either side of his body, staring up into Riku's bright green eyes. His blood was splattered all over Riku's chest and he was grinning widely down at Sora. "You're so weak, Sora. You should thank me for putting you out of your misery now. Maybe if you beg I'll make it fast."

"I will… never ever… beg to someone like you…" Sora said; his chest rising up and down in rapid gasps as he struggled to breathe under the strength of Riku's foot now shoved under his ribcage.

Anger flamed in Riku's eyes. He raised his knife, tainted with Sora's blood and dug the knife deep in Sora's chest, dragging it along slowly. Blood blossomed on his chest every time the knife moved.

Sora screamed in agony, shutting his eyes tight and desperately clawing at Riku's arms.

Suddenly his flesh stopped tearing and the knife was wretched from his chest. Sora snapped his eyes open just in time to see a flash of blonde and Riku being thrown to the side off of him. He struggled to get up but white hot pain exploded in his chest and back, coving his whole torso. Sora hissed through his teeth and felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

He looked up and saw Kairi kneeling next to him. There were tears in her twilight eyes, flowing down her cheeks, "S-Sora…" she whispered, resting her hand on his cheek.

"Kairi…" he whispered, reaching up and gently holding her wrist, "Don't cry.."

"But… you're hurt."

"I'm okay Kai… Help me sit up please."

Kairi looped her arms under his and lifted him up with much difficulty. He turned to see Roxas and Riku tumbling around on the ground. Despite their sizes, Roxas seemed to be the one winning; landing multiple blows on Riku's face and chest and jumping back before Riku could even regain himself to throw a punch back.

"Roxas!" Sora yelled as loud as he could, grabbing his knife from the ground and raising it for the blonde to see.

Roxas turned his gaze from where he had Riku beneath him for a split second in time to see Sora throwing the knife towards him. Roxas caught it by the handle and smiled at Sora, who gave a small nod back, before turning back to Riku.

"This is for my sister!" He screeched. Then he was nothing but a blur of flailing limbs, blonde hair, and the occasional silver flash of the knife.

XXX

**Yeah you go Roxas! And yes poor Sora I know... But don't worry it had/has to get worse before it gets better.**

**Thanks to those of you who reviewed, favored, or followed this story! It makes me feel good haha. So thanks guys; and again I have no idea when the next chapter will be up now that the weekends almost over... Bleh.**


	11. Sora and Riku

**If you thought Roxas was gonna kill Riku, you were wrong! Haha.**

**Here we go...**

XXX

When Roxas finally stepped away from Riku he was panting heavily, blonde hair plastered against the side of his face and blue eyes slowly losing that wild flame. He held Riku's large knife in his hand and threw it with all his might into the dark forest. Riku wouldn't be getting that back any time soon.

Sora had managed to get to his feet with Kairi's help and stumble over to where Riku was lying on his back on the ground. The silver haired boy was covered in blood and bruises. The only part of him that wasn't marked or concealed with blood was his flashing emerald eyes and patches of his face. "Come to finish me off brother dear?"

Roxas handed Sora back his knife and stood beside Kairi behind him.

Sora gazed down at Riku and shook his head, "Why did you do this Riku?"

"Simple, to get rid of you so I could go back to my normal life with our parents." He sneered.

"They made you do this?"

"I can't go back unless they know your dead."

Sora dropped his eyes and hung his head, "Why do they hate me so much? Why do _you_ hate me so much?"

Riku shifted painfully on the ground, propping himself up on his elbows. "I don't know Sora." He replied.

"Riku I don't want to kill you." Sora muttered, dropping the knife and turning away from his brother. "Just go back home ok?"

For a moment Riku looked shocked, staring at his brother with his head hung low and blue eyes glistening. Riku stood up slowly, wincing, and took a step towards Sora, but Roxas immediately jumped in his path and glared at him, "Don't get any closer," he warned.

Riku growled, "You're an idiot Roxas." Riku threw his fist and it connected against Roxas's jaw, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the ground at Kairi's feet. Despite Riku's injuries he was still dominant in strength.

Kairi gasped and bent down beside her brother, easing him back onto his feet as Roxas groaned and held his cheek.

Sora whipped around at the noise just in time to see Roxas hit the ground. He started to run to help him but Riku cut him off. "You're a fool for thinking I'd just drop everything and leave."

Sora took a hesitant step back, he didn't have a weapon. His knife was a few yards away lying on the ground where he had dropped it. He didn't have time to retrieve it for Riku was on him in an instant, kicking Sora square in the chest and sending him flying backwards. He crashed down onto a large bundle of branches that dug into his already injured back, sending small needles of pain shooting through his body. "Sora!" he could vaguely hear Kairi screaming his name, but she sounded very distant, like he was hearing her under water.

Sora blinked the stars out of his eyes and gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain and getting back on his feet. He knew Riku would kill him if he didn't get back up quick enough. He turned his gaze to see Riku charging at him, arms spread out in front of him and aimed straight at Sora's chest. He was about to dash out of the way until he saw a flash of red from the corner of his eye and Riku toppling to the side.

….

"Kairi don't!" Roxas yelled, now back on his feet. He stared in horror as Riku and Kairi went rolling on the ground. Surely Riku would hurt her, maybe even kill her. He had no sympathy for anyone; he'd kill his own brother in cold blood without a second thought. Roxas shook his head and jumped into the fray.

"Roxas wait!" he heard Sora yell somewhere off to his right. But he wasn't listening. He managed to land a swift blow with his fist on Riku's side. Immediately the silver haired boy turned his attention away from Kairi enough to press both his palms on Roxas's chest and sending him stumbling away.

He would have fallen right on his ass had Sora not come up behind him and stopped him from hitting the ground by grabbing his shoulders.

The red head was digging her nails deep into Riku's arms and neck, scratching at any piece of flesh she could get to. Riku grabbed Kairi's wrist as she went in again and took his fist and hit her under the chin, snapping her jaw together. Blood flooded her mouth and she made a deep gurgling sound deep in her throat. She lost her hold on him and went falling backwards. Riku jumped to his feet and took a few steps away from her, regaining himself and wiping off some blood.

Sora set Roxas back on his feet and went scrambling towards Kairi, sliding down on one knee and just barely managed to catch her too before she smacked into the ground. He placed his arms beneath her back and her head lolled over his arm. Blood was flowing from her mouth, tears streaked her beautiful face and her arms were covered with bruises. "You'll be okay Kairi." Sora said, trying to comfort her as best he could.

Kairi nodded weakly and Sora held her body in his arms and turned to where Roxas was still standing, frozen in place and staring at them both, "Roxas come here! You have to help her!" Sora yelled at him. Roxas snapped out of his state and ran over to them. "Here, help her," Sora demanded, handing Kairi over to the blonde.

Roxas looked shocked but reluctantly took Kairi from him and carried her, bridal style, over to the side, hopefully out of any danger now.

"Oh I'm sorry Sora, did I hurt your girlfriend?" he heard Riku taunting him from behind.

Sora took a deep breath and stood up, turning to face Riku. The boy looked like death, covered in dried blood with his tan skin turning pale. Only his glowing grass green eyes showed any sign of life in him.

"And you won't be hurting her again." Sora retorted, pulling his knife from his jean pocket. (He had gotten the chance to pick it up when Kairi had tackled Riku.) Sora had given Riku a chance to get away but he didn't take it, instead he had chosen to hurt his friends, and that was crossing the line. Riku, of course, was weaponless. His knife was somewhere deep in the forest, thanks to Roxas.

Sora gave his brother a hard look; his black shirt was shredded in the back and completely covered with blood. The pain was still there from the multiple cuts but he pushed it aside and put his full attention on Riku.

Riku only smirked, "You actually think you can save them?"

"No Riku," Sora replied, shaking his head, wild chestnut spikes dancing around his face. He lifted his gaze back to Riku, eyes blazing to life with blue fire. "I KNOW I can save them!" he yelled and charged Riku.

Sora was fast on his feet, ramming his sharp shoulders into Riku before the boy could even react. Sora felt new power flooding through his limbs, coursing through his body and making him feel stronger than ever before. In a matter of seconds, he had Riku pinned beneath him, both his knees settled on the silver teen's chest and flaming cerulean eyes glaring daggers down at his brother.

Despite the fact the Riku was bigger than Sora; he couldn't push the boy off no matter how hard he tried. His arms had been pinned beneath his back and the pressure of Sora on top of him prevented him from moving. "T-This is impossible, you can't win!" Riku yelled.

"Riku, you've made my life more than hell over these past few weeks. You tried to kill me, you even manipulated Roxas into hurting me too! And you injured Kairi!" Sora screamed, raising his knife, he could feel himself starting to tear up. All the pain, fear, and anger bubbled up in his chest. He couldn't take it anymore. "You will NOT make me and my friends suffer any more!" he yelled, shutting his eyes tight and plunging his knife deep into Riku's chest, penetrating his heart.

He could feel Riku's body shutter violently beneath him and then he lay very still. Sora slid his blue eyes open, Riku's eyes were glazed over, the usual murderous green glare was gone and he wasn't breathing.

Riku was dead.

….

Roxas stumbled to the side, holding his sister tightly. The blood had stopped flowing through her mouth and she was slowly focusing her indigo eyes up on his face. "Roxas…?" she whispered.

Roxas nodded, "Yeah Kairi, I'm okay, you're okay."

"W-Where's Sora?"

"He's…" Roxas paused and took a shuddering breath, "he's fighting Riku."

"What?!" Kairi shot up, causing herself to almost fall back down from the sudden dizziness that came to her head. She held onto Roxas to steady herself and looked around.

She slid her gaze over the area until she saw Sora with Riku pinned beneath him, his back to her. Sora's tan arms were shuddering as he held his knife above Riku. Kairi could see the many cuts and slashes spread across his back, he had to be in pain.

She quickly started running to him with Roxas at her heels but froze in her tracks, eyes wide with horror. She heard Sora scream as he plunged his knife deep into Riku's heart.

….

Sora released his grip on his knife, sliding off of Riku and kneeling next to his brother. He wiped the tears starting to form in his eyes. "Good bye… Riku." He muttered, his voice breaking. That was all he could manage to say, his throat closed up and he knelt in silence, the outside sounds became silent to his ears and he hung his head low, only being able to see Riku's hand laying limply by his side. He was shivering violently and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

It was over. Sora had done it. He'd gotten rid of the person who had made his life miserable. Yet killing his own brother was the hardest thing he ever had to do and it shook him to the core. It was amazing that only a few weeks ago he had been lying contently under the stars without worrying about a thing.

XXX

**Kind of short but a lot happened in this chapter. Now we're gonna slow things down just a little. Maybe this will end at 13 chapters I'm thinking.**

**Thanks to you guys who have been reviewing! It helps me a lot; I appreciate you guys!**


	12. I Love You

**Ahh... School, homework, sports, etc., etc., etc...**

**Very short chapter, I know, just had to get this out. ****Anyways, on with the story!**

XXX

Sora knelt by his brother in a haze, arms hanging at his sides. His blue eyes were dull with grief and he didn't even respond when Kairi came up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Sora…" she whispered, resting her chin on his shoulder, but she might as well not have been there at all. Sora turned his head towards her but his beautiful eyes seemed to be looking right through her instead of at her.

"Sora?" Kairi asked, pain gripped at her heart, sinking its claws deep within her. She can't lose Sora, she just can't. It'd be like losing a part of herself.

Sora stood, dragging Kairi up with him, and turned to Roxas, "Will you help me carry his body to the ocean?" he muttered. Roxas just nodded and pried Kairi off of Sora so he could grab Riku's shoulders while Roxas looped his arms under Riku's legs.

Sora started, leading with Roxas while Kairi trailed behind them, lost in her own thoughts. Sora kept his eyes forward, never looking back and his movements were robotic, like every muscle in his body had gone stiff. Roxas walked behind him, with Kairi next to him. "Are you okay Kairi?" the blonde asked, glancing sideways at her.

Kairi nodded, "I'm fine Roxas, just… worried about Sora."

"He'll be okay, don't worry." He replied, though Roxas doubted it would reassure her. Sora was acting a little different. He only killed Riku to protect him and his sister; and Roxas knew if that wasn't the case, he probably would have been unable to kill Riku. Maybe it was the fact that Sora had killed him that made him act so… distant.

Together they maneuvered through the dense forest, avoiding the thick foliage. Roxas figured Sora must have known where he was going because within minutes the familiar sound of the waves reached his ears and the salty scent tickled his nose. It seemed like it's been forever since him and Kairi washed up on the shores.

They knelt down near the water and set down Riku's body. Sora folded his brother's arms over his chest and waited in silence until the waves came and carried Riku's body away. Sora watched until hsi brother became a speck and disappeared, forever lost in the seas. He wanted to break down into tears, his brother was gone and it was his fault. The guilt was like a rock in his chest, heavy and hard. When his brothers body disappeared from sight he felt like he was going to burst, tears were brimming at the edges of his eyes, but he couldn't cry is front of Kairi or Roxas.

Sora turned quickly and ran into the forest, sharp strangled sounds coming from within his chest. He just had to get away from Kairi, she couldn't see him cry. He tore through the foliage, the branches and leaves whipping at his face, each one stung and he was sure some of them broke the skin on his cheeks because he could feel warm liquid drip down. He crashed into a tree, putting his hands out in front of him to stop his face from smashing into the bark.

He pressed his back against the tree and sank down with his knees tucked to his chest. Only when he took a look around and made sure no one had followed him did he let the tears flow, gasping and sputtering, eyes shut tightly. He looked like a broken angel. Soft and kind but hurt.

He didn't know how long he sat like that, but he cried until he couldn't anymore. His throat went dry but he still sat there, lost in his own dread. He buried his face in the haven of his arms and desperately tried to shut off the outside sounds, focusing on his breathing instead of other thoughts of his brother.

Sora felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder and snapped his head up to meet Kairi's beautiful face. She smiled and removed his arms from around his legs. Sora blinked at her, letting his arms be guided away. Kairi wrapped her arms around him, pressing her forehead on his shoulder. "It's over Sora…" she breathed, "you did it."

Sora sighed, it's a good thing the tears stopped a while ago. He hugged her back, running a hand through her gorgeous red tresses. She buried her face into his shirt and held him closer, "I love you…" she whispered.

Sora seemed startled, he pulled away, placing his hands on Kairi's shoulders and turning her to face him, "What?" he asked.

"I love you, Sora," she repeated, gazing into his sparkling blue eyes. She wanted to be lost in those orbs, let the blue sea take her and wrap her in its embrace. Sora rested one hand on her cheek and pulled her close to him so their faces were just centimeters away. Kairi stared at his soft petal pink lips as they curled into a sweet smile. She leaned in, closing her eyes and pressed her lips to his. She placed her arms around his neck and he melted into her, holding each other so close as if they wanted to share the same skin.

Neither of them pulled away they just… Stopped kissing. Sora's eyes flickered over her face, "I love you too Kairi," he breathed.

And being there in Sora's arms… She wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

XXX

**I figured they needed a little fluff don't you think? I'm pretty sure I'll end this at 13 or 14 chapters, just have to wrap some things up and ta-da! Thanks to those of you who followed and/or added this story to your favorites, it means a lot!**


	13. A New Plan, A New Journey

XXX

In the weeks that followed things started winding down slowly and peacefully. Sora and Kairi had become official boyfriend and girlfriend and Roxas was more than happy to support them. Sora started showing the two siblings how to gather and build various items out of the resources from the island. He brought them around the island, showing them a few landmarks and the best routes to get back to their cabin (which Kairi had insisted on adding a few warm colored tulips to the roof). He showed them how to wash their clothes in a stream that was nestled deep in the greenery, and he even made them both their own small knives out of stone, sticks, and vines.

In turn, Roxas and Kairi told Sora about their life before they were washed onto the island; how their parents were, the things they did for fun, their friends, and the school they went to. Though most of what Roxas had to say about school was just how pointless it was, even though Kairi said Roxas was a straight A student. Sora thought for as much as they talked about it, they were probably desperately missing their old life back home. Sora didn't though, he never thought about it much because, even if he did want to go back, the reality that he would have nothing to go back to crashes down on him like the waves crashing on the shore.

Life gradually got easier with the three of them living there. Though they lost track of time a long time ago it didn't seem to matter; they enjoyed each other's company and laid out on the beach every evening to watch the sun sink below the horizon.

The three of them had broken the barriers of survival. They weren't surviving, they were living.

"Do you think it will always be like this?" Kairi asked one evening as the sky was being painted a beautiful orange to signal the sun making its decent across the sky in its usual cycle.

"I dunno, maybe," Sora replied, wrapping his arm around Kairi's shoulders as she nestled up next to him on the beach. "If it is, I'd be okay with that."

"Don't you ever want to go see what's out there again though?" Roxas wondered, sitting next to Kairi with his legs spread out in front of him and his hands behind his back, pressing into the still warm white sand.

"Sometimes," Sora replied simply.

"You know, this island can really be beautiful," Kairi said, resting her head on Sora's shoulder and listening to the waves gently lapping the shore. "If we got the chance, I don't really know if I'd want to leave." She sighed contently. Yeah, life wasn't so bad. At least she still had the two people she cared about most with her. There was a long pause; the sun was nearly half way below the horizon. "But a part of me does wonder," Kairi continued, "What would happen if we went back? Did anything happen to the outside world while we were gone?"

"Well we could find out," Sora said suddenly, surprising Kairi and causing her to draw back and look at him.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Roxas glanced over as Sora smiled, "We can build a raft."

Roxas smirked, "A raft huh? Not a bad idea. I'm up for another adventure, what do you think sis?"

Kairi looked from Roxas to Sora and drew a long breath before answering. "As long as I'm with you guys I don't care where we go, but let's just stay here a little longer," she said, siding back up next to Sora, "after all, our destinies have become intertwined."

Sora's eyes widened as Kairi's words sunk in. Of course! How could he have forgotten?! "Hey Kairi, that reminds me, I want to show you something."

"Huh? What do you want to show me?" She asked curiously.

"I'll show you," he replied, standing up and helping Kairi to her feet. "But you have to close your eyes."

"Close my eyes? What is it a secret or something?"

Sora shrugged, a playful grin sliding onto his face, "Maybe."

Kairi smiled, "Alright alright," she turned to Roxas who had turned back to the ocean and was now basking in the last of the sun's warm rays, his blonde spikes dancing around his face. "We'll meet you back at the cabin okay Roxas?"

Roxas just looked at them out of the corner of his eyes, "Okay, have fun you two," he smiled as Sora led Kairi back into the jungle.

"Do you trust me?" Sora asked once they had left the beach behind them.

"Of course I trust you," Kairi replied. Sora smiled and told her to close her eyes as he took her by the wrist and carefully maneuvered through the foliage. He remembered it was deep in the jungle, somewhere he had found only once but the pathway had been burned into his mind. He just couldn't believe he hadn't remembered it until now.

"How far is this 'surprise' exactly?" Kairi asked, "Feels like we've been walking forever."

"Don't worry Kai," Sora said, gently guiding her though a patch of long green leaves hanging down from a nearby tree. "We're here. Open your eyes."

The redhead slowly slid her indigo eyes open and gasped at what she was looking at. There was a patch of sand surrounded by what was almost a perfect circle of dark green grass. To the left were three coconut trees that stood so tall Kairi wondered how she had not seen them from the other side of the island. But the thing that sparked her interest the most was a bent tree, almost completely sideways before it curved up and gave way to luscious green palm tree leaves and three of the most peculiar looking fruit.

Sora grinned at her expression and led her over to the bent tree in the middle. "Sorry I didn't show you this earlier, I had completely forgotten about it. But I didn't bring you here just for the scenery," he said, hopping up onto the sideways tree and carefully plucking one of the yellow fruits off of the stem. Sora brought it back and stood in front of Kairi with the fruit in front of him.

Kairi gazed down at it. It was shaped perfectly like a star, with a small patch of leaves growing from where the stem had been. She wondered what sort of tree made such a fruit.

"This is a paopu fruit," Sora explained, "the legend behind it is if two people share one, their destinies become intertwined and they'll remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what."

"Sora… It's beautiful…" Kairi said, awestruck at the whole thing.

"So are you," Sora smiled and held the fruit out to her, "I don't ever want to be apart from you. Will you share this with me Kairi?"

Kairi looked into Sora's gorgeous cerulean eyes, her heart fluttered as she held onto the other side of the paopu fruit, "I'd be happy to Sora."

With that, Sora broke it in half, kept one for himself and gave the other to Kairi. Neither of them hesitated as they both took a bite of the fruit at the same time. The sweetest juices Kairi had ever tasted filled her mouth, her taste buds coming alive and her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

They didn't say a word as they leaned in and shared a passionate kiss with each other. Their love had become an unbreakable connection, one that not even the hardest of times could sever.

…

In the day that followed all three of them awoke to the shining sun. They ate a breakfast of coconut shavings, which Sora had snagged from one of the coconut trees last night before him and Kairi left, and half a jug of water from the stream. They discussed the raft as they ate their breakfast and by around noon they had decided to build it and finally see for themselves what had happened during their absence. Roxas planned out how to structure it, Kairi was the one to fetch the resources Roxas needed, and Sora stayed at the beach with Roxas to help build it.

It was a slow process at first but over the next few days it had become a daily routine and was quite easy. All of them were on board with the idea, although Sora was worried if Kairi really was okay with it. But when he asked she just told him that she didn't care as long as she was with him.

In what Sora guessed to be about 10 days it was finally ready to go. Packed with provisions and a structure Roxas was certain would not fail, they concluded that they would all set off the next morning.

Kairi sighed, wiping the sweat from her brow and plopping down on the sand while she admired their work. Night had just fallen but the moon had lit up the island in a silver glow that made Kairi look like a goddess. Sora walked up behind her and set his arms around him from behind, smiling sweetly as he looked at their now finished raft.

"It looks fantastic," Kairi complemented the two boys.

"Thanks Kairi," Roxas said from his place on the raft docked on the sand. "It's sturdy, it'll certainly carry us a long way."

"Well good thing you're smart in these kind of things because I would have never figured out a structure like this, usually I just wing it," Sora said, resting his chin on Kairi's head.

Roxas chuckled, "I don't find that hard to believe."

"Hey!" Sora yelled, smiling.

"Hey guys… what's that?" Kairi asked, pointing out to the ocean while getting to her feet.

Sora stood and squinted out to the waves. An object was flashing in and out of sight as the waves moved up and down. From what Sora could make out it was a piece of drift wood but with something on top of it. "What _is_ that?" Sora asked no one in particular.

"Is that a… person?" Roxas stated, gazing out as well. Sora squinted harder and, as the object got closer, sure enough it looked like a person was lying on top of the driftwood. Although they didn't appear to be moving.

"It's headed in our direction," Kairi said walking closer to the edge of the shore.

All three teenagers waited at the shoreline until the supposed 'person' got closer and closer. When it was just about a few yards from the water's edge Roxas ran out and began to pull the driftwood that the figure was laying on. Sora was quick to act and ran out with the blond, pulling the driftwood to shore. The two boys laid it down on the sand and looked closely at the person. It was a girl; she appeared to be passed out. Kairi walked around and knelt next to the girl on the side opposite Sora and Roxas.

"Hey are you okay?" Sora asked the girl, bending down on his knees. The girl groaned slightly and shifted, cracking open her startling light blue eyes.

"What…?" The girl asked, her voice was scratchy and she slowly got into a sitting position with the help of Roxas. "Who—who are you?"

"I'm Sora, this is Kairi and Roxas," Sora introduced, pointed to the red head and blond respectively. "Where did you come from?"

"I-I don't know, I don't remember…" she replied in a small voice.

"Well what's your name?" Roxas asked.

"...Namine."

XXX

**And with that I am finally done with this story! (after falling off the face of the planet of course) Thanks to all of you that reviewed and no I do not own Kingdom Hearts, though Im sure its everyones dream here that you did.**

**I cannot thank those enough who favorited and followed this story I love you guys!3 **

**Uh... sequel? I'm not sure. If I do it'll be in the summer after school finally gets out and I can be stress free! But let me know what you guys think. Till the next time, See ya!**


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